The Shadows of Onderon: The Reluctant Queen
by taleofloveandwoe
Summary: Four years after the battle with Abeloth, the Jedi are in seclusion, trying to hunt down the last of the Sith. With failure at every turn, Ben Skywalker has grown impatient with the task, until the young Queen of Onderon, Kiala Olverde, arrives on Shedu Maad claiming that she needs a Jedi team to protect her. From what is unknown, and Ben is pulled into a battle he might not win.
1. Chapter 1

The Shadows of Onderon

**The reluctant Queen **

_"Before you can see the light, you must deal with the darkness"_

-unknown

Chapter 1

The stars blazed high above his head as he lounged casually back in the high reedy grasses. His boots tossed without concept a few feet away, and his shirt open slightly. He sighed softly and tucked his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes and just listened to the stillness that surrounded him like a blanket.

He'd slipped out after dinner and had found his secluded spot rather nice in the humid heat of Shedu Maad. Being trapped on the jungle world had left him bored and rather antsy for something, some unknown concept that had evaded his ability to word for the past few months. He opened his eyes slowly and glanced up at the sprawl of universe above his head. He could probably name all the stars around Hapan system if he wanted to, as a matter of fact he actually thought about doing it to entertain himself, if only for a few minutes. The grasses next to him shifted slowly and he narrowed his eyes as he turned his head to the side slightly in the direction that the distraction had come from. A small head popped above the grasses and a soft reedy voice whispered, "what are you doing Jedi Knight Skywalker?"

Ben sighed, his solitude broken now that the young padawan has found him. He propped himself up on his elbow and whispered, "looking for peace, why?"

The little one slipped through the reeds and tumbled into the tiny clearing. She brushed off her robes trying and failing to appear modest as she questioned, "I am interrupting?"

"Slightly," Ben murmured, trying to not appear as annoyed as he genuinely felt in that moment. It was rare that he found time to just _be_ these days. After returning a two years ago from his travels around the galaxy looking for the mysterious Monolith, he had been searching constantly for some sort of place to just lie down and do absolutely nothing. The padawan across him was not helping his cause at all; in fact, none of the padawans were helping, and despite having dealt with them for all together two years, he was rather sick of them. Begging to leave on some mission or another to escape the confines of the Jedi Temple, he'd been turned down each time by the Jedi Council stating that there was nothing that needed to be done at the moment, but he would be the first considered if anything came up. He'd been frustrated at that, only for his aunt to pull him along with her husband and their adopted daughter Allana, on a mission to take the young Princess to Hapes to spend time with her mother. Ben has slipped away even then, much to his aunt's discouragement and had every single time been called right when he was on the verge of actual peace. When he'd returned a few months ago, he'd been restricted even further, with no explanation as to why. He guessed his dad was pulling strings, making sure he stayed planet side. Although Ben wanted to believe it was because he just wanted to spend time with his son, he knew that his dad was keeping him here so that he wouldn't go after Vestara.

He frowned momentarily and then laid back once more. Vestara. Now that was a name that had a double edge every time it was spoken. Of course he still felt things for the young Sith woman, four years might seem like forever, but that was nothing for him in the moment. She still made him want to strangle her and hold her close at the same time, although the later was lacking as of late.

Deciding that if he just ignored the padawan, she would go away, Ben closed his eyes and settled in again. Instead of getting up and leaving, the little human girl laid down next to him, pressing her shoulder into his own as she whispered, "what are we looking at?"

Ben sighed and then whispered, "shouldn't you be inside, I thought lights out was a hour ago?"

"Oh no, it's not for another hour."

Ben snorted softly and then replied casually, "my dad's getting too soft with all of you young kids. We were supposed to be in bed by this time when I was your age."

She giggled softly and then whispered, "oh he's not in charge of that, Jedi Master Durron is in charge tonight."

"That would explain it," Ben huffed as he closed his eyes. Kyp had, as of late, been a pain in Ben's side. Teasing him and all around pushing Ben to really question whether or not is was a waste to remain a Jedi Knight instead of punching a Jedi Master right in the face. Kyp had enjoyed this excessively, and of course, Ben's cousin Jaina had joined in a few weeks ago. The two of them just about driving him off the deep end every morning, and that was before breakfast. Occasionally, he got his own jibe in, only for it to be turned against him as two witty minds converged on one.

The padiwan looked him up and down for a moment and then whispered, "it's nice out here."

"that's why I like it." Ben replied as if it were obvious. The young girl blinked at him and then climbed onto her knees so that she was looking down at Ben curiously. The light form the temple was far enough away that Ben was having trouble seeing her face. She crossed her arms and then whispered, "I was actually sent outside in the cold to come get you."

Ben blinked up at her and then said, "it's not that cold, in fact, it's rather nice out."

"well I was nice and happy inside until Master Durron sent me outside to find you and bring you inside because you have to go and see-"

"alright, I get it. You were forced to go get me. Go on inside, I'll take it up with Master Durron in the morning," Ben murmured as he motioned the girl away. She huffed and then said, "he demanded your presence now, not later."

Ben frowned and then sitting up he glared out at the trees and said, "fine, I'll go speak with Master Durron, and we'll see how _vitally_ important it is for him to speak with me."

He pushed up and grabbed his boots from a few feet away. The young padiwan squeaked and then sprinted after him, afraid of being left along in the dark.

(/)

Inside the temple Ben weaved in and out of groups discussing everything from strategies to battle meditation, trying and failing to not be noted. People still managed to try and get his attention and Ben ended up having to excuse himself on matters of importance just to get away. The young padiwan running behind him to keep up. After a few minutes Ben stopped and leaned against a wall to put his boots on. The girl stopped and then said, "you don't even know where you're supposed to go!"

"The Force is guiding me," Ben huffed sarcastically as he straightened up and fixed his shirt. Frowning, the girl walked down the hallway next to him and said, "you'll tell Master Durron I did as I was told, right?"

Ben complied quickly and turned the corner just as quickly, trying to lose the girl before she followed him even further. She paused in the next hallway and then called her goodbye before turning and walking the way they had come. Ben watched her disappear around the corner and then sighed before turning quickly and walking the last few corridors.

(/)

Kyp was waiting patiently at the end of one, his arms crossed and his face amused as Ben strolled up, obviously reluctant. The young man pushed his unruly red hair out of his face and said, "anything I can do for you Master Durron?"

"As a matter of fact you can, you're late though"

"That sounds an awful lot like a threat sir."

Kyp laughed momentarily before motioning over his shoulder with a dip of his head for Ben to follow him. Frowning, the youth followed Kyp down the corridor towards his father's study. As they walked Kyp watched him carefully and then whispered, "you doing okay?"

"Me?" The kid actually thought that this was a big joke, and he was apparently waiting for the punch line. Kyp stopped and grabbed Ben's arm to keep him from walking. Now that Kyp got a good look at him, the kid, well, he wasn't really a kid anymore. When had he grown up? It seemed like yesterday that the kid had just been _born_. It only reminded Kyp of how old he was getting, must have reminded Luke every day too, Kyp reasoned. He sighed and then said, "you're making me feel old kid, you know that?"

"sorry to hear that Master Durron. I know how upset that must make you." Ben commented dryly as he tried to pull away from Kyp's grip. The Jedi Master held firm though and pursued the topic further, "how old are you now, twelve?"

"That's hilarious Master Durron."

"Alright, alright, how old are you really? Nineteen?"

Ben shrugged slightly and then said, "close enough, I'm actually twenty, well, twenty and a half if you want it down to the millisecond."

"twenty! You better let your dad know how old you are, he probably lost track of something." Kyp shook his head slightly, genuine surprise rolling off him in waves, since when was the kid twenty? Ben rolled his eyes, and then said, "alright, where are we going?"

Kyp shook of the hazy memories long enough to say, "to a meeting, your dad called both of us in, apparently something's come up."

For a moment there was a flash of surprise in Ben's eyes, enough for Kyp to recognize it for what it was, that adventurous lust. That same adventurous flash had never truly left his mother's eyes, even after her only son had been born. Now it had apparently transcended the genome to end up in her son's eyes at that moment. Kyp didn't blame the kid, if he were twenty and stuck on this rock he would have been doing anything and everything to get off.

The flash was gone as soon as it had come through, and Ben nodded tightly as he said, "well then, we're probably keeping him waiting."

He strolled past Kyp and towards his father's study where he paused and then nodding his head as if receiving invisible confirmation, opened the door. Kyp frowned as he stood outside and then deciding against better judgement, he followed Ben inside.

(/)

There were few things that surprised Ben, and as of late, they were dwindling to an even shorter list. His uncle said eventually that list would disappear, then he said he would get married and the list would get longer again; lessons in the school of Solo were often taught that way. Standing in his dad's study now, and seeing three guards and a young woman who looked no older than Ben himself, made him stop, causing Kyp Durron to ram him from behind. Kyp gwarfed in annoyance and then hissed, "what the-"

There was momentary silence as they both took in the young woman who sat before them. Ben glanced her from toe to head, taking in every detail. She had her legs crossed one over the other, her feet were clothed with soft white sandals that strapped up to her ankles; the sea colored vinesilk dress that hugged her curves—although they were not too flamboyant, she definitely had them— had slipped up slightly to show off pale but well toned calfs; strung around her neck, which was the same porcelain color of her arms, were a small collection of gerinian stones laced together in a fashion that caught light every way they moved; long pale blond hair tumbled from a gerinian stone headdress that seemed to tie the whole package together in what could only be titled as royalty. As soon as Ben finished his general sweep he came up to meet her eyes only to see her observing him as well. Pale blue irises that seemed to pierce him scowled deeply at his obvious stare and eventually glanced him over as well, although Ben knew she got a different impression of him that he got of her.

The guard on her right seemed to see the exchange between the two of them because he moved slightly closer to her and almost went to step in front. Her eyes flicked to him barely, but the order was there and he froze, then returned to his original position. Kyp swallowed behind Ben and then whispered, "what the-" he never finished though since she turned her attention to Ben's father who was leaning against the edge of his desk with his arms crossed and his attention completely on his son who had obvious broken some from of protocol without even knowing it. She raised her chin slightly, the epitome of royalty and elegance all in that one move. She waited expectantly and Luke sighed before rising and saying, "Jedi Knight Skywalker, and Jedi Master Durron, this is the Queen of Onderon, Queen Kiala."

"a queen?" Kyp frowned and then looked her up and down once more before saying, "you look a little young your Highness."

She smiled coyly with a raised brow before answering in a soft accent, "a Jedi Master? You look a little old sir."

Kyp smiled slightly and then replied just as coyly, "oh good one your Highness, but calling me old practically pins the same title on the man over there." Kyp motioned to Luke with his head, who narrowed his eyes and silenced Kyp with a glare. The young queen appeared pleased to have won and Ben narrowed his eyes, deciding that she was just like any other royalty he had met, happy to win the petty battles, no matter how they won. She seemed to sense his change of air because she turned to smile at him, tilting her head to side slightly as if inviting him to try and beat her in an argument. Ben looked away and he swore when he looked back that she was laughing at him.

A man who looked old enough to be her grandfather broke out from behind her and then coughing to clear his throat he said, "I apologize for the late calling, but we called to confirm that we were coming."

Luke shook his head and frowning he replied, "we received no such transmission. I apologize, that is what must have caused the wait."

The man frowned and then looking back at the queen as he spoke to Luke, "I assure you, no one is questioning your end."

"May I ask what the calling is for at all?"

"Ah, yes, my apologies Grand Master, her Highness and I are here to ask a favor."

Luke's frown deepened until Ben was sure he'd never seen his father so confused in his life. The older man who was obvious either an ambassador or an aid continued carefully, "we are in need of some…protection. We are traveling to an extremely important diplomatic summit, and we were subtly referred to you by the Queen Mother."

Ben raised his brow there and then looked at his father who appeared more surprised by the information than concerned. He nodded and then leaning back against his desk Luke reasoned, "interesting, no mention of anyone specific in the Order?"

"we were referred directly to you." The man inquired, and then he seemed to realize the situation was drastically spiraling out of his expertise shown when he quickly clasped his hands together in front of him. Luke looked to Kyp and said, "interesting, don't you think Master Durron?"

"Quite Grand Master, I think, perhaps the Queen Mother is… up to something."

Luke frowned and seemed to think deeply about this for a moment until the young queen spoke, making it the second thing she had said since Ben had arrived in this room, "I assure you that the Queen Mother is only wishing that I have a secure environment when I arrive."

Luke raised his brow in question at the queens comment and Kyp frowned, just as lost. Ben took a slight step towards the door and his dad turned his eyes to watch him and then gave the slightest of nods dismissing him as soon as there was an opportunity. Luke then turned to the young queen and inquired, "what environment will you be entering that would require a Jedi's presence your Highness?"

She tipped her head to the side slightly, making those pale locks tumble over her shoulder and the stones around her neck clink together gently. Her smile was genuine this time as she said, "surely you know that the arena I am going to enter when I arrive is one where the smallest weakness is exploited, and the information I am bringing is highly sensitive, perhaps you understand what position I would like to portray when I arrive Grand Master?"

Luke frowned, and Kyp turned to him and said, "this is your expertise, transporting royalty with sensitive information, that's a Solo and Skywalker family tradition."

Ben smiled slightly at the reference to his father's past and Luke pursed his lips into a tight line, apparently not as amused as his son. The queen smiled as well and then said, "that is why I went to the Queen Mother, I asked for her reliable security ideas, and she immediately pointed out that the Jedi have defended her family constantly in the past. Seeing what the past was for her, I decided that perhaps, it was time I find a new partner in security."

Luke sighed and then ran a hand through his hair slowly as he thought deeply about what she was saying. As if she were adding a last minute idea, the queen reasoned, "and from what I've heard, the young Chume'da will be present. I'm sure you will be desiring to keep an eye on her."

Luke frowned once more, apparently not at all pleased with the amount of information that was being unloaded at that moment. He sighed once more, crossed his arms and looked up to the ceiling as if he were thinking very deeply at the moment. When he looked down a few moments later, Ben had moved closed to the door and the queen had begun smiling, knowing that she had won. Luke dipped his head in acknowledgment and then said, "I see your point your Highness, and I will prepare a Jedi Master to join you on your diplomatic mission."

She smiled even further, and Ben took that moment to go and open the door. She held her hand up towards him and then said, "I was hoping actually, that you would send someone who was perhaps, my age?"

Ben froze, tensing in the doorway as he looked over his shoulder tentatively at the young queen who was obviously referring to him. She smiled at him and then nodding as if the matter were decided she managed, "Jedi Knight Skywalker would do just fine."

Luke smiled, apparently seeing the bait, but not rising to take it at all. "Oh but your Highness, you insisted that the information you are carrying is vitally important, Jedi Knight Skywalker is not prepared to take such a mission alone."

The Queen flared up momentarily, apparently not used to people dismissing her orders so easily. Ben winced as she set her glare on his father and hissed, "then by all means Grand Master, send a Jedi Master with him as well."

Luke shrugged and reasoned, "I cannot spare both a Knight and a Master, perhaps I can send my niece with you. Jedi Master Solo is more than capable of handling such a mission."

The Queen rose slowly and the guards hackles rose as she crossed the room to Luke and whispering is a hushed tone that was meant only for him, "I was under the impression that your niece was a fighter, not a diplomate."

"Yes, but my son is no where near a diplomate either." Luke countered easily, not the least bit phased by the young Queen's intense glare. She moved a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and then said, "then I assume we are done here?"

"Unless you are willing to listen to my ideas, then yes. You best be careful though your Highness, closed mindedness in Court will not gain you any support." Luke's warning obviously shocking the young Queen as she turned on her heel and motioned for her guards to follow her. As she passed Ben she glanced him over once more and then stormed past and out the door. As soon as the door had closed behind her aid Kyp whistled then said, "where did she pick up that_ attitude_? Don't they teach respect in princess school anymore?"

Ben frowned and then glancing at the door again he whispered, "she was intimidated, she did the one thing she knew how to do, attack. We challenged her authority when she thought she had a clear victory."

Kyp turned to look at him in surprise and then said, "when did you start to speak nobility?"

Ben shrugged and then said, "I thought it was obvious that she was intimidated, didn't you see the way she was sitting, the way she wouldn't meet anyone's eyes? She was definitely thinking we would just agree to everything and let her have her way. It's obvious she's not used to losing."

"well, it's a good thing we gave her a dose of humility before sending her off on her first diplomatic mission." Luke replied as he moved behind his desk to sit at it. He watched Ben for a moment and then said, "why don't you follow them out, make sure everything is taken care of?"

"You think they're spies?" Ben questioned in surprise as he turned to look at his father. Luke shrugged and nodding to Kyp said, "they would be very good actors then. I applaud them excessively if they are. That's immaterial though."

As he gathered his thoughts again, there was a knock on the door. Luke frowned at the door and Ben's head titled to the side as he said, "probably the aid apologizing for her actions. At least, that's what I think he should do."

Luke sighed and waved his hand dismissively, apparently giving to order to let them in. Ben reached out and opened the door, turning to face who he believed was the aid, he was once more surprised to see the young queen standing outside. Her hands clasped tightly in front of her and her icy gaze set on him. She nodded to him and then in a much softer voice than she had spoken with before, she whispered, "is your father still present?"

Ben opened his mouth to answer, only to step aside, his mouth struggling over words to fill the silence as she passed him. She slipped inside it seemed, as if she were sliding under a firing squads scrutiny. She stood before his father like that, as if she were awaiting judgement and in that moment, Ben saw that she was definitely at least eighteen, maybe nineteen. Luke looked up and with a slight smile said, "ah, your Highness, have you come back to renegotiate?"

She shook her head quickly and in a hushed voice, spoke so quickly that words appeared to have difficulty coming out of her mouth, "I apologize for my earlier actions, they were uncalled for, and completely disrespectful, but you must understand the how perilous of a position I am in."

Luke raised his brow in surprise and then said, "you made yourself clear your Majesty, you are carrying sensitive information, and are entering a place you have obviously never transpired in-"

"You'll forgive me for saying that I lied to a Jedi's face." She looked away warily. Ben shook his head in surprise and then said, "we would have known if you were lying, you were telling the truth-"

"It was a half truth," She curtailed Ben's comment quickly and then broached the subject once more with Luke, "I am carrying a form of sensitive information, but I am the information."

"I don't believe I understand your Highness. I apologize, but you are not making sense." Luke commented dryly as he rose and crossed from behind his desk again. The queen shook her head quickly and whispered in a hurried tone, "I am under the impression that my Court, guard, and Council have all been infiltrated. You are aware of the Onderon civil war, are you not?"

"I am acquainted with the subject, but I'm afraid I cannot offer you useful insight your Highness." Luke replied softly as he leaned against the front of his desk again, crossing his arms comfortably, he glanced the young queen over as she clasped her hands tightly and continued. "It does not matter, you are aware that it is a dynastic war, yes?"

"of course."

She looked away quickly, as if stealing herself, and when she meet Luke's eyes once more she spoke with a steal resolve, "my father was murdered a few months ago, I was sworn to the throne then. My uncle planned his assassination and has hence forth set out to eliminate me as well."

"And you have reason to believe he had infiltrated your court?" Luke inquired as he frowned. She queen nodded quickly, apparently ignoring the other Jedi present, all attention focused on Luke and what he might say to help her situation. "I am desperate sir, I need the Jedi's protection. I-I have reason to believe that…that-" she seems to freeze momentarily, her eyes wide and fearful as she looked around at the shadows of the room. Luke rose quickly and whispered, "reason to believe what your Highness?"

"I believe, but I don't exactly have proof spare for scattered moments when I was much younger, that my, that my uncle is a Sith."

Kyp snorted softly and Luke glared at him for a moment before turning back to the queen and whispering, "and you are absolutely sure on this?"

She swallowed heavily, but her answer was written in her silence. Luke sighed heavily and the looking to Ben carefully he said, "what do you sense of this situation?"

Ben frowned, another teaching point, why couldn't he just be like other kids and just learn form example, why was it always hands on with his dad? "I don't sense a lie here, but she admitted to lying to us in the first place, I didn't sense a lie there either."

Luke nodded carefully, looking out the window to the right apparently lost in through or perhaps meditation, trying to locate a flaw in the queen's story. He turned back to her after a few tense moments to inquire, "and what will my Jedi do to protect you, your Highness?"

She shifted momentarily before replying, "I'm not sure, I don't-"

"If I send my Jedi with you, my own son mind you, will they come back?" Luke inquired as he watched her expectantly. The Queen looked down at her clasped hands and then with a tight jaw she looked up and said carefully, "you send them on missions of your own, and worry about their safe return, what is different about what I ask?"

"She has a point." Ben supplied softly as he turned to his father. Luke glanced at him momentarily, as if he were questioning that comment as well. Kyp nodded as if finalizing the matter and then said, "you could send Horn, he would be able to handle the mission and Ben."

Luke looked up in surprise for a moment, as if he were shocked that Kyp would agree to the whole thing as well. The Queen smiled slightly and whispered, "The Onderon Royal House would be greatly in debt to you Master Skywalker."

For a few tense moments Luke stared the young queen down, his brow lowered and his arms crossed loosely. Of course he was going to help her, he had no choice, someone came asking for help, it was his duty to provide it. But, was it worth it to risk his son, and one of his senior Masters? Corran would of course be able to handle the situation and strap down Ben, but the situation had a dark tinge to it, like a storm on the horizon. Could he send Ben and Corran into that storm, and risk them not coming out of it? Corran would be able to brave the darkness, he had passed so close to those storms, and had walked through them with Luke himself before, but Ben, Ben had danced on the edge, a stones through from the darkness, never inside. Would he know he had fallen, and would he have the courage to turn to Corran for help, or would he try to fight his own way out and get lost along the way?

Luke glanced up at him in that instant, Ben stood solidly in the center of the room behind the queen. His pale blue eyes watching Luke intently for orders, waiting patiently, but beneath the surface Luke sensed the swirling mass of energy. It was no secret that Ben wanted off of Yavin. He'd been running his whole life, and to tell him to sit still and not move was like trying to lock to a breach in a hull. Possible, but only for a short amount of time, until the pressure was too much and the hull shredded completely. Luke had known that Ben would not want to stay here, had known from the moment he had returned from his time with Leia and Han that Ben was done sitting around doing nothing, he wanted to be in the think of the action again, he wanted to feel the pound of adrenaline in his ears as he charged into a situation where it was just him and his enemies. With no real enemy except for the phantom of the Sith out in the galaxy, he had been antsy, desperate to get out and put a gun to an actual enemy he could touch and see. Luke could understand that, he'd been twenty once too. A young idealist that wanted nothing but to vanquish his enemies and avenge his friends, but that kind of idealism is what made him charge head first into his battle with Vader, and to almost topple over the edge and into the darkness when he went to face Vader again. He couldn't send his son to that fate too.

Ben seemed to sense the shift in his father's thoughts because he lowered his eyes and set his jaw. At that motion Luke realized he couldn't tie his son down like he wanted too. He had too much of his mother in him, too much of that Jade fire coursed through his veins, and as much as he wanted to rein his son in and try to get him to settle into his new role as a senior Knight, and possibly a Master in a ten years, Ben was not made for sitting, he was born and raised in war, all he had known was war; Luke should have known that getting Ben to settle down would have been difficult. It had been difficult for Luke himself to settle down, and thinking back on that, had he really? Even after he had married Mara and they had both decided to try and settle down together, the galaxy had always had plans of its own. Even after Ben's birth, they had been forced back into battle, to abandon their son in the Maw in hopes of protecting him. He should have known from the moment that the battle with Abeloth had ended, that the war was still waging for Ben.

"Ben," Luke began cautiously, the youth looked up and nodding, replied, "yes sir?"

In that moment he looked older, twenty going on fifty, Luke reflected dryly as he spoke calmly, "Inform Master Horn that he is to accompany you as a senior Master on a mission of great importance, that requires that he leaves…"

"tonight as the latest sir." The Queen supplied casually as her excitement built around her into a swirling mass of energy that rivaled that a youngling charged with delivering order of great importance. Luke sighed heavily and then turning to Ben, who was also doing an extremely poor job of hiding his excitement, to say, "pack your bags then Jedi Knight Skywalker, I will see you at the landing pad before you take off."

Ben nodded tightly, but he knew that his father would speak with him before he was even finished packing. He bowed and then turned to leave. The Queen bowed as well, and Luke dipped his head to her politely as she passed him. As soon as they were both out of the room, Luke turned to Kyp and spoke quietly, "inform Corran that I need him to keep a close eye on Ben while they are on this mission. He's a loose cannon right now and I don't want something to happen."

Kyp smiled knowingly and then bowed as he turned to leave though he paused and then looking over his shoulder he asked, "did you sense the Force around the two of them?"

Luke frowned momentarily and then shook his head, Kyp nodded and then whispered, "it was wrapping around them, almost binding them. It was interesting, I've never felt anything like it in my life."

"Interesting," Luke commented suddenly curious, "I didn't sense it."

Kyp shrugged and then motioning to the door and obviously to Ben who was walking away, he said, "It was incredibly subtle, I'm not even sure if it was there."

Luke frowned and thought about that for a moment, and then nodding as if he was sure of something he turned back to Kyp and said, "warn Corran about that too, and tell him to keep an eye out for it. If he feels it, he's to report to me."

Kyp nodded once more and then turned on his heel and left. Luke watched door for a few moments and then leaning against his desk he wondered how he could have missed something like that in the Force.

Ben walked towards the turbo lift that would take him down to the hanger inside of the Jedi Temple, as he walked he swung his bag over his shoulder and pushed his hair out of his eyes. He really was going to have to cut it soon, maybe he would cut it while they were in hyperspace, he thought as he smiled. He pressed the call button and then glanced over his shoulder to see his father walking towards him from the other direction. Ben winced inwardly, from this look on his father's face, it was going to be one of _those_ turbo lift rides. Luke stepped up next to him and then said, "all packed?"

"pretty easy to be when you don't have a lot to pack," Ben said with a shrug as he stepped into the turbo lift. Luke followed him in and then reached out and pressed the door close, but not the level. Ben turned to him and said, "what?"

"Be careful Ben, I'm getting a bad-"

"Please don't say you're getting a bad feeling, if you get one, then I get one. It's kind of a thing in our family," Ben comment offhandedly as he reached to press the button. Luke stopped him though and then said, "Ben, I'm serious."

Ben narrowed his eyes momentarily and then replied, "are you really _that _worried about this? I mean it's not like I'm fourteen anymore and I need you to tell me to be careful."

Luke sighed for a moment and then murmured, "don't remind me."

Ben fell silent for a moment and then whispered softly, "what? Do you want me to call you every night like I used to when I was a kid and tell you that I'm okay and all that? I know those used to calm mom down all the time."

Luke laughed dryly and then looking his son up and down he said, "that's not what I'm asking, just a chirp once in a while, so I know that you know I'm alive."

"Don't joke about that." Ben muttered as he reached to press the button and Luke let him this time. The turbo lift descended slowly and Luke said, "I'm sure you and Corran will get along on this trip."

"I'm actually happy you're sending me with him because I'm not in the mood to deal with the sarcasm Master Durron oozes." Ben commented coolly as he shifted his bag to his other shoulder.

Luke smiled at him and then teased, "you don't exactly keep it in either you know."

Ben glared at his father, fainting injury. "At least I don't hit people with it up on the head, I pick and chose who I hit."

"You keep telling yourself that Ben."

Ben snorted softly as he looked at the wall next to him, and Luke knew he was hiding a smile that was threatening to escape. They were silent for a few heart beats and then Ben turned to his father and said, "what do you think of her?"

"there are plenty of hers in this galaxy Ben."

"I mean the queen, what do you think of her?"

Luke frowned and for a heartbeat debated telling his son about what Kyp had sensed between the youth and the queen. Ben watched him expectantly until Luke glanced at him and said, "be wary around her."

Ben didn't look the least bit surprised at the bluntness in fact he nodded and said, "wonder why she wanted me."

"She said she wanted someone her age."

"I mean really. You can't expect anything but a lie from her now." Ben commented dryly as the doors opened. Luke nodded and lowering his voice whispered, "then be extra wary around her. I hate to judge before knowing someone but, the Dark Side tends to run in families."

" sort of like ours?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Luke replied with a tight smile as he put his hand on his son's shoulder, suddenly very worried for him. Ben looked up at him and then whispered, "I promise, if I start feeling funny or I want to adopt a new name, Master Horn will be the first to know."

Luke sighed, trying not to smile at Ben's obvious attempt to make the conversation lighter. He squeezed Ben's shoulder tightly and then said, "just be careful. Girls are pretty but dangerous."

Ben smiled and then slipping away and winking he said, "is that what they told you about mom?"

Luke smiled at him and said, "oh no, I knew that from the minute I saw her."

As they turned to walk towards the large, silver shuttle near the end of the rows of StealthXs, the aid came down the ramp. His robes blew about slightly in the wind that had picked up and he waved to them slowly. Luke paused and Ben did as well to question, "what?"

"Nothing, I just- never mind." Luke replied as he continued on. Ben watched him curiously for a moment before frowning and following him quickly. As he caught up to his father he had formed the question on the edge of his mind, but as soon as they were close enough to the aid to hear him over the roar of the ships engines, he began thanking them profusely for their sacrifice and such. Leaving no room for Ben to question his father on what he had sensed, or seen. Instead, Ben turned to look around for Corran only to see Kyp strolling across the hanger towards them. His brown robes obviously suited for travel. Ben frowned as the Jedi Master arrived and then inquired towards Kyp, "where's Master Horn?"

Luke turned then as well and Kyp smiled crookedly as he replied, "he is regretful to inform that he cannot take part in this mission; he cited something about Mirax and her being furious if he took off on some mission right now."

Ben's jaw dropped in surprise and Luke laughed lightly as he said, "I assume you packed your bag in response?"

Kyp smiled, faking innocence, and held up a bag. "I couldn't let the junior go alone!"

Ben glared openly at Kyp, not bothering to acknowledge the aid who seemed lost in the conversation and the glares at the moment. Luke dipped his head in acknowledgement to Kyp and then smiling at Ben's reaction he said, "try to be respectful Jedi Knight Skywalker," he turned to leave and then as if adding a last thought, he turned back to Ben with a smile and said, "enjoy your mission."

He turned and began the long walk across the hanger leaving Ben to watch him open mouthed, lost for words at his misfortune. Kyp smiled as he wrapped his arm tightly around Ben's neck and started to pull him up the ramp behind the queen's aid. "Just you and me junior, exciting isn't it?"

Ben moaned in frustration as he tried to escape Kyp's grip. He looked over his shoulder at his father who smiled and waved from a safe distance away. As soon as they were almost up the ramp the aid toggled the controls to close the ramps. It snapped shut with a hiss and Ben got one more look at his father who was standing a little ways off, his hand raised slightly as if in one last goodbye and Ben seriously wondered if his father was right and something was wrong with the mission.

Below his feet, Ben felt the engines rumble to life and Kyp released him and pushed Ben away playfully. Ben swatted at his hands and tried to put a safe distance away from the Jedi Master. The aid watched this, and although he tried to keep that professional manner, it was obvious that his resolve was cracking. He motioned into a small cabin and said, "her Highness will be with your shortly, the flight is somewhat long, which is the reason for such a quick departure."

"It will be fine, we adjust well, right junior?" Kyp replied as he pushed Ben's head slightly. Ben glared at him and then whispered, "will you stop calling me that?"

The aid smiled slightly and then motioned to the cabin and said, "I will inform her that you are waiting for her, I am sure that will hurry her along."

As soon as they were in the cabin the aid slipped away and Kyp tossed his bag onto the couch off to the side and sat down next to it watching Ben who had begun poking around the room slowly. He paused by the dresser and looked behind it carefully, then frowning he moved on quickly to check behind the door. Kyp watched him amused for a moment before asking, "what you looking for junior? A place to do your business so I can't see?"

Ben glowered at him for a moment before returning to checking through the drawers and behind the small plant in the corner, as he poked behind the plant he said, "I'm looking for surveillance equipment. If she's right and her uncle's guys have infiltrated her Cabinet and such, then they will be watching her and therefore us."

"Ah, I see," he paused for a moment while Ben reached behind the plant and started scratching at the wall, and then continued sarcastically "maybe you want to let the class know what you're doing now?"

"there is an unnatural hollowness," Ben murmured as he brought his fist back to the punch the wall. There was a cracking and Kyp leaped to his feet as he hissed, "we just got here and you're-"

The door opened again just as Ben yanked something out of the wall. He held it up to look at it and then tossed it onto the table for Kyp to see. It was a simple bug, nothing to complex, it would pass under any system looking for it, but a good eye would know it was there. As Ben turned to look at who had entered, the queen blinked and then said, "subtle of you."

Ben dipped his head in respect and with a cool smile he replied, "they were watching you. I took it upon myself to remove the surveillance."

She moved past Ben and towards the table, then picked the bug up in her delicate hands and looked it over casually, as she looked over it she said, "interesting, this is not Onderon technology."

She sat down on the couch slowly, turning the surveillance system over in her hand as she eyed if carefully. She turned it on it's front and then pushed her nail into a small divot in the back, the system let out a soft pitch and she then looked at it closely before standing once more and throwing it at the far wall. It shattered into a couple pieces and Kyp looked at her in surprise and then looking at Ben who went to inspect the pieces, he exclaimed, "that couldn't have been done in a cleaner, quieter manner?"

The queen glared at him for a moment and then whispered, "if you wanted it handled a certain way, perhaps you should have taken care of it," she glanced to Ben who had smashed one of the pieces beneath his boot, and then said, "you're actions are only making me prouder of my choice in entourage."

Kyp opened his mouth to argue only for Ben to look at the queen and whisper, "there could be more surveillance, I haven't checked the whole room your Highness." His eyes then continued to graze around the room, his curiosity evident in the Force as he stepped away from the wall and said, "you might want to get that fixed by the way, you Majesty, it might look funny."

She made a face that was a cross between a grimace and a sneer and then to Ben and Kyp's surprise she replied, "please call me Kiala, I have not yet… adjusted to the title of Queen."

Ben seemed to think about her statement for a moment before nodding curtly and saying, "as you wish."

Kiala smiled at him warmly and then settled back into the couch, shifting the edge of her transparent, sky blue robe so that it draped around her in a pool. She pushed her blond locks back over her shoulder in a subtle gesture of comfort and then whispered, "there is no more surveillance. I had my captain of the guard check it earlier."

"so that was a test?" Kyp murmured as he leaned his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his steepled fingertips. Kiala looked at him for a moment as if she had been insulted by his accession and then said, "no, I am sure my guard missed that one. They have not been well trained, most of them are young and have not worked long under me."

"I thought you said your guard was infiltrated." Ben pointed out as he moved his bag away from the door and onto the dresser. He stepped around the couch and sat adjacent from Kiala on the opposite couch. Kyp moved from next to the Queen and sat next to him, apparently still trying to understand what had transpired a few moments ago.

"My captain of the guard was chosen by me. I chose him from a small fighter squadron that never worked for the palace. He has been extremely loyal to me ever since I picked him," Kiala spoke offhandedly as she smoothed out the fabric of her pants. Ben noticed that she had changed to a simple pair of white pants and a white tunic. She had removed all of the jewels and glamour, and looking at her now, he thought she looked rather pretty without all of it. But without all of that, she looked younger than she had with it. Just looking at her made Ben worried, she had such a delicate frame, soft shoulders, a tiny waist, in fact Ben was sure he could snap her in half without even trying. She seemed to sense his eyes because she turned her gaze to him and said, "he was in the room in fact when you entered. He just got a little jumpy when you stared too long."

Ben narrowed his eyes as he remembered the man. He was maybe three years older than Ben, definitely a head taller, with broad shoulders, and serious kind of expression that Jaina said had won her over with Jag, her now husband. Those dark eyes had made Ben uncomfortable as they had stared into his own. Kiala looked at him carefully and then said, "he's very protective, although I've never quite understood why."

Ben could name a thousand and one reasons why he was so protective, and Kiala's looks and curves were defiantly two of the higher reasons on the list. As much as he chided himself for thinking like that, he had been trained in the GAG to see the obvious and the underlying motives in people actions; and although he hadn't even stepped into his uniform for a good six years, that training had hung onto him like a second skin. When he looked up from his musing he saw Kiala smiling at him sweetly and just a tad bit too gently she said, "he's a very high ranking general now, I'm proud to say I started his spiral into his position."

"How kind of you." Ben murmured as he leaned back and crossed his arms. He wasn't stupid, he could see that she was rilling him up, trying and failing to get the reaction she wanted. Kyp coughed to get her attention and as she broke contact from Ben, he couldn't help but feel relieved that her icy eyes weren't on him anymore. She smiled at Kyp and with that soft voice once more said, "yes?"

Kyp frowned at her momentarily and then began after he was sure he had her undivided attention, "why did you come here in the first place, surely it wasn't to watch Jedi Knight Skywalker smash a hole in your wall and then pull out a bug?"

Kiala smiled once more, and her smile was genuine this time as she said, "oh no, that was just a bonus. I actually came to make sure that you had settled in comfortably," she paused for a moment, her lips drawing into a soft line and then with a smile like a summer breeze she continued, "I was under the impression that Jedi Master Horn was going to be joining us on this mission."

Kyp frowned, his pride momentarily wounded as he replied, "he claimed prior commitment."

"Really? What a shame, I was looking forward to meeting him," Kiala whispered as she brushed imaginary dirt off her pants once more before looking up at the Jedi once more. That icy gaze locked down and refusing infiltration, as much as Ben wished to know what was beneath the surface, he also knew that it was going to take giving in to her demands first. Doing that, meant trusting the Queen of Onderon, and at the moment, Ben wasn't so sure that was the best idea if he wanted to live. She sat back comfortably on the couch then, her arm casually draped across the back as she crossed her legs delicately and with a slight smile she whispered, "what a time we have ahead of us soon. I assume we shall be arriving tomorrow sometime in the late morning."

"Where will be traveling exactly you Highness? You… neglected to mention that to the Grand Master." Kyp questioned softly as he too leaned back comfortably into the couch, Ben remaining at stiff attention at his side. The Queen shrugged and then whispered, "we are heading at this moment to Kinsheak II, a small moon in the Lambda sector."

Ben frowned momentarily and then commented gently to Kiala, "strange, last I looked Onderon was in the Inner Rim, and the Lambda sector is in the Mid Rim, not too far from Inner Rim actually. Strange that you would travel all the way out here and then back again just for a security detail."

Kiala glared at him, her eyes narrowing to slit as she replied, "well observed Jedi Knight Skywalker, well observed." She leaned forward slightly and then smiling at him carefully she whispered, "let's just say I have need of a good entourage."

"And you couldn't have gone to the Galactic Alliance with this request?" Ben replied as he leaned forward too, his forearms rested on his knees and a smile playing on his lips. Kiala snorted gently and then leaning back, apparently backing out of the argument she retorted, "and have to sign thousands of papers, half of which would be trying to tie Onderon to your _precious_ Alliance, and binding me for eternity to a government that is filled with more bureaucrats and lies that fill a snakes mouth? I think _not_." She narrowed her eyes once more and then rose slowly. She smiled gently, all animosity gone in that moment and whispered, "it was well past midnight, I think it's time I retire."

With that she swept pasty them, pausing by Ben, she dipped her head and then continued on out of the room. As soon as she was gone, Ben wiped his hands down his face and sighed heavily. Kyp whistled and rose from the couch, slightly amused at the way the Queen seemed to bring out the the teenage Skywalker that had disappeared after Abeloth. No one had missed how much the youth had changed after his encounter with the Force entity. Kyp raised his hands above his head in a stretch and then sighing, walked towards the fresher and said, "she's something else."

Ben nodded tightly and then put his hands behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. Surely there was a reason for the Queen's biting attack at his mention of her seeking them out. She was not telling the whole truth for sure, there was just too much animosity in her words whens he spoke about the topic. Finishing that thought, Ben decided that it was better now than never to try and reach into the queen's mind and find out what she was really thinking.

Slipping into a half mediation trance, he closed his eyes and reached out into the Force completely immersing himself in it, before he reached out towards Kiala. He could sense her casual air as she walked away, certain that she had the Jedi wrapped around her little finger, especially Ben. He smiled at that and then pushed a little deeper, trying to see why she was so worried about getting them on her side. He sensed it then, a flash of fear, not at his entrance to her mind, or because she was being attacked, but because of a memory. He flinched away from the Force in surprise and found himself back in the room. That fear had been so palpable that he could almost feel it himself, in the pit of his gut, and that fear was the reason that he stumbled toward the door to see what was going on and what would be causing such a spark.

As he passed into the doorway, he saw her speaking with her aid at the end of the hallway. The old man looked over Kiala's shoulder to see Ben standing in the hallway and then whispered something to her and walked the other way. Kiala glanced over her shoulder at Ben and then gave him a light smile as she turned and followed the aid. Frowning, Ben followed her, refusing to let her get away like that. He caught up to her in front of her rooms, the guard was there and he almost stopped Ben. He went to step in front of the Jedi but Kiala raised her hand, a smile of amusement playing on her lips as she inquired, "yes Jedi Knight Skywalker?"

Ben returned the smile and then with a dip of his head he said, "if I drop formalities with you Kiala, then you get to drop my title, please just call me Ben."

She frowned at him and then as if testing the word she whispered, "Ben…" his name fell off her tongue like crystal water and she tilted her head to the side as she whispered, "interesting name, were you named after someone?"

Ben smiled and whispered, "unfortunately we are not close enough for you to know that, yet."

Kiala laughed lightly and then whispered, "you didn't just come to tell me this, what is it you would like… Ben?"

He dipped his head and then said, "I was wondering if you would be willing to-"

"Your Highness, it is late, you should retire." The guard spoke from behind Ben, making him glance over his shoulder in annoyance. Kiala smiled at the guard and said, "ah, Ben, this is Olie, he is my Captain of the Guard. Olie, this is Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker. Try to be respectful."

Olie frowned, apparently unconcerned with the last remark, in fact he acted as if Kiala had not even said it at all. He appeared to not be interested in the slightest by the Jedi who stood before him, and that irked Ben slightly, for what reason he couldn't say. Kiala smiled at him softly and then turned and whispered over her shoulder as she opened her door, "good night then… Ben."

She slipped inside and closed the door behind her, leaving him staring at her door, annoyance rolling off of him in waves. He turned slightly to look at Olie and spoke carefully trying not to instigate something he wouldn't be able to stop, "I was trying to speak to her about something important."

"if it has to do with her safety Jedi, perhaps you should drop the small talk and get right to it." Olie whispered with a greasy smile as he turned and took up post outside of Kiala's door. Ben glared at him momentarily before turning and walking back down the hallway, prepared to stop and glance into a few of the rooms and poke around to try and learn more. There was a slight cough behind him and Ben stopped and glanced over his shoulder to see Olie motion down the corridor and say, "do go straight back to your rooms Jedi Knight Skywalker, it is best if you do that."

Ben frowned and then with a wan smile he said, "of course."

That night, Ben lay looking up at the ceiling of the shuttle. His hands resting on his abdomen, trying to find some sort of peace so that he could finally sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes though he felt that burst of fear that had come from the Queen of Onderon. It couldn't have been her aid could it? Maybe he was in some way associated with her father's death, maybe that was the reason. She hadn't had that spark before though when she had been near the aid. He wouldn't put it past her however to play him, to play his emotions to get him to feel bad for her so that she could manipulate him further. As he lay looking at the ceiling, he considered that possibility, she could have been manipulating them the whole time, and that was why his father had had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

A few hours after sitting thinking about those thoughts, it was early into the morning, and he couldn't take just sitting there anymore, not being being able to sleep. So, Ben rose and dressed quietly, hoping not to eke Kyp who was sleeping in the bed across from him. Ben, being a light sleeper himself, knew that the Jedi Master was one as well, years at war had taught them both how to wake at the slightest sound. The last thing Ben wanted in that moment though, was for Kyp to wake and follow him.

Finally dressed and still wide awake, Ben went towards the door and began to pull his boots on again, hoping that he hadn't woken Kyp he glanced up to see the Jedi Master watching him expectantly from the edge of the bed. No doubt he wanted to know what in hells name Ben was doing up at three in the morning, but Ben had no intention of telling him just yet. Kyp sighed heavily and then said, "don't make me ask Ben."

"I'm going for a walk," Ben murmured as he rose and started towards the door, his intention of leaving Kyp behind clear, or so he thought until the Jedi Master responded.

"Ah, down a short of long air lock?"

Ben paused and smiled slightly at the sarcastic comment and then glancing over his shoulder replied, "what does it matter, I'll be back in a few hours."

Kyp frowned as he rose slowly and grabbed his robe, pulling it on he murmured, "then I suppose I should go with you. We can talk about some things."

"Really, it's fine, I can walk on my own-"

"I have no doubt in my mind that you can do that, this is more about you walking around a foreign ship at three in the morning," Kyp joked as he spoke, putting his arm around Ben's shoulders and pushing him towards the door as he opened it. Be sighed, it was apparent that he was not going to be rid of the Jedi Master, now or later.

The shuttle was larger then either of them had anticipated, and as the first hour went by with no sign on anyone other than themselves in the quiet halls, Kyp began to feel uneasy. He glanced to Ben to see if the youth was feeling the same, but Ben's face was a mask of his true feelings and intentions. His eyes remained straight ahead, his walk holding purpose, and Kyp eventually had to stop him at a junction and question him. "I suppose you want to talk about why you wanted to walk around at three in the morning now?"

Ben glanced to him, and then sat debating how to answer that question. Why did he want to walk around this ship at three in the morning? It could have been nerves at his first mission in years, he supposed; however, Ben had handled plenty of missions like this, he shouldn't have been worried in the slightest, let alone nervous. Maybe, he thought he would get a catch on someone's emotions, figure out why the queen was being so secretive, why her Captain of the Guard had requested that he go straight back to his quarters not a few hours earlier. No one appeared to be alive on the ship though. Yet, everywhere he looked now, there appeared to be someone watching, even now, as they stood in the middle of the ship with no one around them, Ben felt like he was being observed.

Kyp's grip on his shoulder tightened and Ben glanced to him momentarily, trying to pin down where those secret eyes were that seemed to be watching. With a frown he lowered his eyes and voice to whisper, "do you feeling like you're being watched right now?"

For a moment, Kyp glanced around, as he looked down the different corridors, he began to feel it again, that prickling on the edge of his senses that he had been feeling all night, that had only seemed to disappear when he had followed Ben out on this little "walk". It was stronger now, and Kyp had the urge to look over his shoulder, wondering if perhaps someone _was_ standing at the other end of the hall, watching them. He lowered his voice to a gentle whisper like Ben's to reply, "yes, I sense it."

They were silent for a moment, Ben listening intently to hear over the roar of the hyperdrive engines that seemed to be the only sound that occupied the ship. A constant buzzing in his ear that seemed to fill his whole being like a gentle vibration. He closed his eyes for a second and then whispered, "I don't sense anything… dangerous. I don't feel threatened, it just feels like someone is watching my every move."

"Interesting." Kyp murmured as he began to walk again, reaching out as Ben had moments earlier to sense what was around them. He could feel living beings nearby, could sense slight thoughts, but they were stringing together into immaterial things, the simple thoughts of servants waking. He passed a set of doors and Ben spoke softly from behind him, "I don't trust her."

"Hmn?" Kyp murmured from ahead, distracted, and obviously choosing not to listen to Ben in that moment. There were plenty of hers that they had just passed, trusting anyone on this mission was out of the question of course. If there was one Sith in the Onderon system, then there was always another. There was always two, a master and an apprentice.

Judging from what the queen had claimed about her uncle, he was the master, now they only had to find the apprentice. The more time that Kyp spent near the queen, the more he began to realize that perhaps she was that apprentice. As they turned a corner suddenly, the devil walked into them. Well, more walked into Ben.

The queen cried out as she stumbled backwards, and Ben reached out lightening quick and caught her hand before she could fall. Pulling her to her feet quickly she looked up at him in surprise and then whispered, "oh, Jedi Kni- I mean, Ben, I didn't see you."

"Niether did we." Kyp murmured as Ben let go of the Queen's hand, he hadn't missed the fact that the queen had dropped Ben's title, which worried him just slightly. Kiala tucked the hand Ben had caught underneath her other hand and whispered, "I would think you would be sleeping."

"I would think the same." Ben retorted as he glanced her up and down. She was still wearing the same pants, tunic, and robe, only her hair was pulled back into a delicate style at the nape of her neck. She pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear self-consciously and then replied softly, "I could not sleep. It has been a hard few weeks, and sleep has not been easy."

Kyp didn't want to admit it, but he felt bad for the kid. She was maybe eighteen, and her dad had been murdered; her mother was apparently dead as well, since she would probably be with her daughter now, and the kid was all alone in this big galaxy. It was no different from Ben really, he had lost his mother at fourteen, at least he still had his dad though. Seeming to sense Kyp's thought she looked at him cynically and then whispered, "I apologize, but my aid has brought something to my attention and I must speak with him."

She passed them and Ben turned around quickly to whisper to her back, "was he there, when your father was killed?"

Kiala froze and Kyp sensed a swirl of emotion under that perfect façade, Ben apparently saw something more because his eyes widened and he whispered, "I'm sorry Kiala, I didn't mean to make you-"

Without even turning around the queen whispered, "The past is behind me, I can not bring the dead back nor can I change what has transpired, I can only keep moving forward. Now, if you will excuse me." She then continued down the hallway, turned right and vanished on her way to her aid's study.

Ben watched her for a moment and then walked quickly in the opposite direction, Kyp watched his back for a moment and then whispered, "what did you see?"

"Blood, lot and lots of blood being spilt." He shivered both in the Force and physically at the vision and then continued on quickly, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Queen of Onderon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_life is sometimes softly falling rain. A gentle comfort while we wait in anticipation for the sun._

_-unknown _

It was not too long after their encounter with the Queen in the hallway that Ben had felt the familiar turn in his stomach as the shuttle had dropped it's landing gear and then landed gracefully in the main space port of Kinsheak II. He hadn't seen or heard form the Queen since their meeting, and he had a distinct feeling that she was avoiding him. Not that he wanted any more run-ins with her.

An hour before they had entered the space around the planet from light speed, Ben had poured over all the information he could possibly find on the medium sized moon they were heading for. Besides the fact that it had been home to a strong Force-sensitive population when it was in its early development, Kinsheak II was just a normal rock floating around with thousands of rocks just like it. Birth and morality rates were normal for a moon of it's considerable size, cities sprawled for a few miles and then gave way immediately to dense wood and eventually beautiful snowy mountains. It was a typical moon where any typical diplomatic mission would be held. Why then, did Ben feel as if something was creeping up on him, preparing to strike when he had his back turned? The feeling had slipped away for a while, and he and actually been able to meditate for a few moments to refresh his mind and hopefully his body. Sleeping was not possible anymore, and Ben highly doubted he'd be able to anyway.

Coming back to his present situation Ben straightened his formal tunic and adjusted his belt slightly to better adapt to the weight of his lightsaber. He had dressed as he had been told to by Kiala's aid who had come to the two Jedi and informed them to dress as nicely as they possibly could for the arrival. Kyp had grumbled about how being stylish would inadvertently interfere with their mission of protecting the Queen, and should anything come up, the nice tunic would be the first thing he took off in order to protect Kiala.

Standing there now, waiting for the queen to arrive so they could walk down the ramp and into the palace they were staying in already, Ben shuffled his feet and pushed his hair back. He had unsuccessfully tried to cut his hair when Kyp wasn't looking only for the Jedi Master to yank the viroblade out of his hand and shout about him cutting off his hand or something. Ben had of course missed the implied joke and had instead snorted and left the bathroom to get dressed.

From around the corner of the bottleneck hall, Ben heard voices, soft, but rising in magnitude and not just because they were getting closer. Further down the corridor, Olie appeared, his hand on the viroblade hilt on his belt, and Ben felt a twinge of fury when he saw that the guard was wearing just comfortable gear, a simple leather chest plate for protection, a white long sleeve tunic, and padded pants. Looking down at his own ensemble Ben felt stupid and foolish for being dressed as he was. Then following her guard, the Queen of Onderon walked around the corner. She didn't walk though; she seemed to float. The long floor length blue green gown she wore flowed around her like a river, the sleeves fluttered slightly around her wrists and stretched up to cover her shoulders and then wrap around her neck in a choker collar. Her long blond hair had been curled delicately into soft ringlets that fell around her head and down her back like a halo, only her face was obscured slightly. Her eyes were drawn out to produce a startling affect of looking at a sparkling crystal.

Ben felt something stir in him at the sight of her, she looked, well… like an angel. She seemed to glow as she walked towards him and the stirring in his heart slowly reached down into his stomach and up into his throat as she stopped next to him. Slowly, Ben and Kyp dipped their heads in respect, returing their gesture with a smile, Kiala looked them both over. Turning her gaze on Ben she motioned for him to raise his head and Ben did so, as did Kyp a heartbeat later. Laughing lightly, Kiala looked over her shoulder at Olie and chastised, "why can't you be like Jedi Knight Skywalker, Olie, and follow orders? I asked him to dress properly for the occasion and he did so, you on the other hand did no such thing."

Olie turned his gaze from Kiala and set his hard black eyes on Ben who offered a smile and said, "I appreciate the complement your Highness."

Kiala's smile widened as if she had been giving permission to run wild, and turning to Olie continued, "did you hear that? That was chivalry, perhaps you should take a page out of the book that Ben read when he was younger and learn a thing or two." She laughed blithely again and then continued towards her aid who was waiting at the top of the ramp to escort her down. Olie watched her go and then turned on Ben quickly to hiss, "I don't know what magic you are pulling Jedi, but know that I am watching you, _both_ of you."

He sneered slightly and then stormed over towards Kiala to stand at her right as her honor guard. Kyp glared at Ben and whispered, "I sensed that, you continued her provocation because you felt insecure about your position."

Frowning, Ben turned to Kyp, prepared to retort only to see the Jedi Master narrow his eyes and start towards their position behind the Queen, apparently an argument wasn't being invited. For a moment, Ben felt seriously insulted, he wouldn't dare try to insult the Captain of the Guard, but isn't that what he had done? He shrugged it off and then stepped up next to Kyp who appeared to be furious with him, so Ben narrowed his eyes and refused to meet the Master's eyes. He couldn't admit to the fact that he had been in fact insecure because of the guard position. As if sensing Kyp's eyes Ben sighed softly and then whispered, "I hadn't realized at the time that I was continuing the provocation."

"Of course you didn't, you subconsciously saw a chance to prove your dominance, no trouble there, except for your pride. Be mindful of your pride, Ben." Kyp whispered gently as he laid a hand on Ben's shoulder, surprisingly Ben smiled at him and then with a tone feigning confusion he replied, "wait, you're an actual teacher?"

"Oh shut up." Kyp growled as he boxed Ben's ear gently. With a smile Ben turned to him and whispered, "sorry Master Durron, I suppose I just forgot with all the teasing you have been doing with me."

"You keep talking with the level of disrespect and I will knock some serious sense into you," Kyp growled, feigning injury as they both turned to watch the ramp lower slowly. The light floated down from the outside, only to stretch up towards them and Ben saw Olie raise his hand to shield his eyes from the sudden change in lighting. Ben raised his hand as well to observe Kiala descend the ramp. Kyp sighed and then whispered, "pray to whatever deities you know that there are no senators that will recognize us."

Ben snorted softly and then followed the aging Jedi Master down the ramp. They stepped off into a large hanger, which had an open domed top, the source of the blinding light, and a white sandy floor, also the source of the light. When they finished descending Ben noticed the diplomate making his way towards them, dressed in official ceremonial robes, he looked as if he had run a marathon recently, with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and probably collecting in the collar of his robes. He paused half way across the hanger when he saw the young woman standing there at the bottom of the ramp, but he continued as if nothing were out of place. He stopped and then dropped into a formal bow to Kiala. When he rose, he froze as he took in Ben and Kyp, then dipped his head quickly to them; Kyp and Ben returned the gesture. If the Jedi were here, then something must be wrong, the diplomate felt another bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck.

He raised his hand in welcome to Kiala and spoke confidently, although his Force presence betrayed the confusion he felt, "I apologize, we were expecting another."

"You were expecting my father up until a week ago. Unfortunately, he has passed on and left me in charge of this process. I am his daughter, Kialan'Oshena Olverde of the Onderon Royal House." Kiala spoke with a poise and confidence that made Ben glance at her in surprise. It had always amazed him how his aunt and other politicians could flat out lie about how they was feeling without betraying a whit of their emotions. Kiala had just done so, underneath those words he sensed that swirling maelstrom of emotion that resonated whenever she thought or spoke of her father. An intense mixture of guilt, agony, and fear washed over Ben making him look to Kyp to see if the Jedi Master had sensed anything. Kyp appeared to have sensed nothing though, his expression had hardly changed, that, or he had sensed it and was pretending not to. Ben frowned and then lowered his eyes to the dirt ground to try and dig a little deeper. Why did Kiala feel guilt over her father's death?

He glanced up and stretched his awareness out into the Force, trying desperately to sense why she felt guilt. He paused thought when he actually thought about it. For a just a flash of a moment he traveled back six years, to those dark tunnels on Kavan where he had fallen to his knees and sobbed next to his mother's body. He had cried at the unfairness of it all, but also at the guilt that had weld up inside of him. Guilt over not being there to save her, guilt over the fact that he hadn't done enough to show her that he loved her in the last days he had spent with her. In that instant he pulled away from Kiala's mind, realizing that if anyone pushed into his memories of those dark few hours spent in vigil at his mother's side, he would have probably turned and bore down on them with a vengeance. Those were his private moments of guilt and agony, they deserved to remain quiet.

Kyp knocked into his shoulder and Ben shook himself out, Kiala was beginning to walk after the diplomate and Ben stumbled as he caught up quickly. Kyp watched him softly and then whispered, "you sensed it too?"

"The guilt? Yes, I did," Ben looked away and then sighing he continued gently, "we should leave it alone, she deserves to greave in privet."

Kyp raised his brow in speculation, he was taken back, but at the same time he understood why Ben wanted to leave the young Queen alone. His mother's death was a wound that Ben sometimes slinked off to lick when no one was looking, or so he thought. Kyp rested his hand on Ben's shoulder and whispered, "Ben, just remember why she died."

The youth looked up in surprise and Kyp gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze as he whispered once more, "she died to give you a chance at life, a chance to not have to live the life she lived. Believe me, we all respected her sacrifice to the utmost degree."

Ben shook his head and then murmured under his breath so that Kyp had to strain to hear what he said, "no, she died to show everyone what Jacen had become."

He pushed past Kyp, who stopped to watch the youth follow Kiala. Ben had changed immensely since the day of Mara Jade's death, and the amount of maturity that he had to have everyday made Kyp grovel at his own actions when he was Ben's age. It couldn't have been easy being the son of the Grand Master, everyone expecting perfection when you were only human with no way to ever reach those expectations. Once more Kyp thanked the Force for his family not having any connection to the Jedi Order, he didn't know if he could take the pressure that Ben was probably under.

(/)

Outside of the hanger was a small diplomatic shuttle, large and strangely gray in the beautiful blues and greens of Kinsheak II's abundant plant life. It's hull glowed slightly in the high noon sunlight, making it shine like a beacon. Ben frowned softly and Olie appeared to notice the same thing as him because he growled and whispered in Kiala's ear. She glared at him for a moment and then nodded softly as she continued forward. The ambassador opened the door and then held his hand out and helped Kiala up, she took the hand gratefully and then thanked him softly as he helped her up. The aid was next, followed by Olie who managed to slam the door in Ben's face. Ben managed to leap backwards in time to avoid losing both his nose and almost all his hair. Kyp caught his arm when he landed and Olie dipped his head to the Jedi in the window, a greasy kind of smile dancing on his lips as he stepped away from the door. Kyp growled softly and then said, "he did not just lock us out-"

"I think he did."

They both turned around to see a middle aged, red-haired woman behind them, watching the spectacle with a rather bemused smile. She smiled at Ben warmly and then said, "good to see you, Ben."

The repulsor lifts on the shuttle started up and Kyp growled again as he looked over his shoulder to watch the shuttle take off. Ben sighed heavily and then turning to face Tenel Ka, smiled softly and inquired, "you wouldn't mind if we caught a ride with you, I suppose?"

The Queen Mother of Hapes smiled and then gestured over her shoulder to her shuttle that had not left yet. Kyp sighed in relief and then said, "wonderful, I suppose the Queen will be pleased to hear why we did not travel with her."

Ben shrugged and as they fell into pace next to Tenel Ka, she looked to Kyp and said, "a queen? Was that the young woman going into the shuttle?"

"Unfortunately yes, the young queen of Onderon." Kyp supplied the information offhandedly as he massaged his temples slightly. Already this mission was testing his patience, the guard had obviously been seeking revenge after the Queen's comments to Ben, and it infuriated him that he had been caught in the under tow of the whole thing. As they approached the shuttle, Tenel Ka glanced to Ben and whispered, "I have not seen her before, is she of a different royal house?"

Ben paused, his head tilting to the side slightly in curiosity as he said, "never?"

"Not that I know of," Tenel Ka whispered as she paused a few meters from her shuttle. Ben's lips turned downwards slowly as he whispered, "so that's what she lied about."

"I'm lost, sorry Ben." The Hapan queen frowned as well as she adjusted her tunic. "Who did she lie to?"

"Us, me, my dad, Mast Durron, she lied to us. Literally looked my dad in the face and lied." Ben's voice dropped in fury as it slowly dawned on him just how much the Queen of Onderon had lied about. She'd lied about knowing Tenel Ka, she lied about talking with the Queen Mother, which only meant that she knew things she shouldn't. Namely that the Jedi wanted to keep an eye on Allana. Tenel Ka seemed to sense the shift in Ben's mood and with a gentle tone whispered, "perhaps she has a reason to lie. I wish I could help you there, but I don't know anything about her, or her family for that matter."

Ben shook his head, the whole thing adding a new layer to the person Kiala was becoming in his eyes, and dammit, he was just starting to like her. "We don't know much ourselves. Apparently, her father was recently murdered and she stepped in to take his place." Ben's reply was soft, considering his turn of mood, and Tenel Ka smiled at him coyly causing Ben to draw away slightly as she whispered, "oh, well, I didn't realize you had a soft spot for young women like that Ben."

"I don't!" Ben rebutted, bringing Kyp's head around to him and a laugh from Tenel Ka. Apparently, the crisis was averted for the moment, that didn't mean Ben wouldn't be speaking with Kiala about it later.

They rounded the back of the shuttle and a flash of laughter sounded before a small projectile hit Ben full on, almost knocking him to the stumbled for a moment trying to right himself after the sudden change of momentum, before he peeled away from his attacker. Pushing them back a step so he could see them, he looked down into the face of Allana Solo. She laughed joyfully again and threw her arms around Ben's middle, shouting his name. He stiffened uncomfortably and then said, "I don't think this is proper behavior your Highness."

Allana looked up with a scornful look and chastised, "oh please, when have you_ ever_ had proper behavior?"

Ben opened his mouth to protest only to smile and wrap his arms around Allana saying, "it's good to see you too, Allana."

She peeled away once more from him and offered Kyp a bow before saying, "it's good to see you too Master Durron." She rose from her bow and smiled up at her mother who returned the same impish grin. She motioned Allana forward towards the shuttle and then whispered, "I'm afraid that we'll have to get going. They have to catch up to the Queen of Onderon."

"Wait! You guys are here for Kiala?" Allana cried out in surprise as she turned to look at Ben as her mother tried unsuccessfully to steer her into the shuttle. Ben frowned at the young Chume'da and whispered, "you know her?"

"Of course I do! I met her last year." Allana rolled her eyes, as if it were the most obvious thing. She was shuffled into the shuttle and as soon as she was sitting she motioned for Ben to sit next to her. He sat reluctantly and Allana leaned her elbows on the arm rest so that she was facing Ben and had his whole attention. She tapped her finger to her chin for a moment and then said, "where to begin?"

Ben sighed and then smiling gently he said, "I don't know, maybe with what happened to her father?"

Allana looked up curiously and said, "what, did he die or something?"

Kyp glanced over and said softly, "yes, he did. And it's rude to speak about death like that."

"Well how was I suppose to know? I mean, he looked fine last year. Kiala looked fine too. They all looked fine, a happy family and all that." Allana whispered softly, a drip of sympathy and guilt over her callous speech entering her voice. Ben smiled at her and then whispered, "much different from our own I suppose."

Allana looked at him gratefully for lightening the mood and then nodding she whispered, "she was really pretty too, I don't just mean pretty though, I mean _pretty_ like making all the court ladies jealous pretty," Allana paused as if trying to remember something and then said, "like to dinner one night, she wore this really beautiful white gown, and one of the court ladies tried to spill wine on it just so that it wouldn't look so gosh darn good. She missed of course, but-"

"Do you know anything about her guard? Olie?" Ben inquired as he seemed to realize that Allana didn't know the Queen first hand, just in passing. Allana tapped her finger to her chin again and muttered the name under her breath as she tried to draw connections to it. It sounded impossibly familiar as if she had heard it before, but she couldn't put a face to the name. Something like a tickling in the back of her mind, made the name sound a little strange, like there was something she should know about it.

"Nope, can't say I do. Sorry." She eventually replied with a shrug, shaking off the premonition, it was probably just because Ben was feeling so strange about the name, like he felt there should be a reason to not like the it. Ben sighed softly and then turned to Kyp and said, "I don't believe that he has just become her guard, he knows her too well."

"I don't want to hear about your petty squabbles with her Captain of the Guard, Ben." Kyp murmured as he turned to speak with Tenel Ka once more. Ben huffed in annoyance and Allana turned to him and whispered, "do you think she's pretty?"

"Yeah, sure. She's pretty." Ben murmured as he leaned back into the chair, trying to think about what he could possibly do to learn more about Olie and Kiala. Allana raised her brow, suddenly interested. She leaned a little closer, a coy smile playing on her lips as she said, "oh? What about her eyes?"

"They're a nice blue."

Allana laughed out loud and Ben glared at her, and his face reddened slightly as he realized the trap he'd willing walked into. Allana poked his cheek softly and then said, "Ooo! Ben has a crush!"

"No I don't! Allana, stop saying that!" Ben tried to cover her mouth but Allana continued on, laughing all the while. Her mother glanced over and then sternly said, "that's enough Allana, a princess does not tease someone over their crushes and love life."

"Thank yo- wait! I don't have a crush on her! Why does it matter that I know what color her eyes are?" Ben shouted as he covered his face with his hands to hide the red that was swelling and darkening with each passing moment. Allana smiled at him and then said, "sorry Ben, I couldn't help it."

Ben narrowed his eyes at her and then running his hands down his face, he tried to suppress his embarrassment and failed miserably when he realized that Tenel Ka was covering her mouth delicately with her hand to hide her smile. Allana giggled slightly still and Ben eventually turned his face away from all of them, feeling all together furious over the fact that Allana had pulled him into that. It shouldn't have bothered him though, he didn't have any feelings except respect for the Queen of Onderon, it shouldn't matter that Allana teased him. It _did _matter though, her teasing had punctured something deep down inside of him, a place that Ben had barricaded to the point that it had almost become an obsession. A part of him that he never wanted touched again had been wounded once more, and Allana had scratched at it delicately with her taunts.

The shuttle decelerated and Allana leaped up to look out the crystal clear viewport. She smiled wildly and then said, "I love coming here, look Ben it's so pretty."

Ben sighed and looking over his shoulder, and sure enough, it was beautiful outside. Trees that towered almost twenty stories high, scraped the pale blue sky that was dotted with wisps of clouds. Everything was green and alive, the Force itself was buzzing with life, and it swelled up inside of Ben and made him feel at peace for the first time in a long time. Allana was bouncing in her seat in excitement, her eyes wide as she said, "it's so beautiful here, and so… serene."

Ben smiled at her, but he knew it didn't reach his eyes try as he might to make it. He turned his gaze back outside and felt a swell of intense fascination with the palace that rose into existence, tucked into the mountain side. Snowy peaks reached above it and a set of clouds was rolling towards the roofs threatening snow later in the day. Allana squeeze the back of the chair in excitement and then whispered, "it's ancient, almost thousands of years old! They hold this conference every year here, and they have dances and stuff. It actually feels like you're in the time of the Old Republic!" Allana's voice had risen to a slight squeal in her excitement and Ben rolled his eyes to hide his own rush of excitement. Kyp watched the palace closely and then spoke gently to Ben, "we should locate the Queen as soon as we land, we'll claim that they did not account for us when they closed the shuttle."

Allana flipped around and replied for Ben, "you shouldn't lie to her, Kiala has this thing where she knows if people are lying."

Ben frowned and then massaging the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb as he whispered, "with all the stuff she can do, I wouldn't be surprised. I also wouldn't be surprised if she was a Force-sensitive."

Kyp snorted softly, he had suspected that the Queen was a Force-sensitive, that didn't make her a Force-user though. The line between those two was blurry, just like the line between the Dark and Light side of the Force. Until they were certain of the Queen's Force abilities, they would not know which side of the line she fell on. He looked over to Ben suddenly curious to hear the youth's opinion. "Do you think she knows she's a Force-sensitive?"

"it's not very hard to notice, I wouldn't be surprised if someone had noticed and then pointed it out to her. If she doesn't know, we'll have to figure out if we want to tell her." Ben spoke distantly, his eyes still on the trees around them as the shuttle came in to land on the large metal landing pad.

The loud thump that resonated from the landing gear hitting the landing pad was the signal for them to rise. Kyp rose first, adjusting his robe and fixing his tunic, he said, "no games now Ben, we do what we came here to do and then leave with no questions asked."

Ben huffed at having to be told what to do on a mission, but rose all the same and fixed his tunic. Allana rose as well next to him, and straightening out her dress she said, "Kiala liked to flirt by the way, Ben, just a warning though."

Ben paused in the door way to the shuttle and with a smile he looked over his shoulder and replied, "thank you, your Highness, but I've already noticed that one."

With that, he turned and descended the steps and took his first breath of the mountain air. It was so fresh that it burned a cold trail down his throat, and sent a shiver down his spine. Running a hand through his hair, Ben followed Kyp at a quick pace in order to catch up, and as soon as they stepped into the shadow of the palace, he saw how busy the whole place was. Diplomates running around, greeting one another and forming alliances before the whole thing even began, ambassadors translating to others who couldn't speak the language, servants moving back and forth among each other like birds hopping from nest to nest. This all stopped though, the minute everyone saw the Jedi standing on the platform. Kyp paused and Ben did as well, both of them stood, both feeling the amount of tension they were creating by just standing there. Kyp huffed under his breath and then whispered, "you'd think they'd never seen a Jedi before."

Ben shook his head and replied, "nah, it's just my stunning looks. I mean they can't help but stare."

For a moment Kyp was silent with no way to respond to that comment. Then he shook his head, disguising a smile as he continued on, with Ben next to him. The diplomates all moved aside as if Ben and Kyp were wild animals that would attack if they weren't given enough space. Suddenly, someone burst through the crowd and Ben dipped his head with Kyp as Kiala stepped in front of them. She glared them both down and then hissed softly, "what in the name of Hell happened? Where were you two?"

"You should ask your Captain of the Guard, he would know." Kyp spoke, frustrated that the Queen was upset with them when she hadn't bothered to make sure they were with her. She pursed her lips into a tight line at Kyp's comment and struggled to find her patience for a second it seemed. Eventually she raised her eyes to Ben and said, "I was worried about you two. I don't know these people well-"

"Lying isn't a good trait to have your Highness," Ben interrupted gently as he rotated his bag to the other shoulder. Kiala's brow rose at that and she hissed, "who said I was lying-"

"Your Highness, it's so good to see you."

Kiala's eyes fell past Ben to Tenel Ka who offered a dip of her head. The young Queen of Onderon floundered as she tired to regain her loss of composer, and eventually managed to dip her head and whisper, "Queen Mother, a pleasure."

Tenel Ka smiled brightly and then continued past them to whisper to Kiala softly, "I hope to see you at dinner tonight. I was hoping to speak with you about how everything is."

Kiala looked away quickly and then replied softly, "of course, I wouldn't miss it."

Smiling, Tenel Ka nudged Allana along and continued inside leaving Ben and Kyp with the obviously shaken Queen of Ondeorn.

(/)

Ben and Kyp had been situated in a chamber two doors down from the Queen, at her request. To no one's surprise, she called Ben to her rooms as soon as he was done unpacking.

He now stood outside the floor to ceiling, intricately carved wooden doors. He raised his hand and knocked softly, but he still heard the sound resonate on the other side. The doors whispered open across the dark mahogany floors, making Ben shiver at the silence, it would be hard to hear if anyone was trying to assassinate the queen. Ben sighed softly, that meant light sleep or no sleep for a few days, maybe weeks.

Stepping into the room, Ben realized the extent of Kiala's emotional struggle. Her things were tossed around the room, with no exact reason, the only thing that appeared to be unpacked by choice was a simple pair of trousers, and a light, thin shirt, both of which were resting on the vanity next to the open balcony doors. The curtains around which swirled softly, letting in the cold chill that Ben had felt a moment ago. He frowned, wondering then how the door could have possibly opened with no one to open them, and as he glanced over his shoulder he saw a young woman standing there. She was eyeing the balcony as if a wild animal were perched on the railing. Ben sighed and then dipping his head he spoke, "is her Highness outside?"

The woman nodded tightly and then Ben smiled at her softly before saying, "I will handle it, I apologize for whatever happened."

The woman bowed to him and then slipped out of a small servants door, located near to the bed. Ben filed that away for later, and decide to try and find the servants door in his quarters. As soon as the door closed behind the woman, Ben sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he started towards the balcony. The Queen was obviously doing something bizarre, it wasn't everyday that someone around here must see a Force-user do something crazy. He paused before walking onto the balcony, startling her wouldn't do any good at all, so with a calm, soft voice, Ben called out to her, "you requested my presence your Highness, and I'm here now."

After a few second of silence, Ben frowned, deciding something was adherently wrong. He took a step, only to hear a sword unsheathed, and feel a cold blade up against his throat. He froze, and then slowly followed the blade with his eyes to see Olie holding the weapon out, leaning against the wall. He smiled slightly, it looked too much like a sneer for Ben who narrowed his eyes and said, "where is the Queen?"

"She's here, we were talking when you strolled out here like you owned the place," Olie growled. From down the way, Ben saw Kiala appear, she looked tired and he saw her holding her hand softly to her chest as if it were injured. Ben frowned and then softly reached up and pushed the sword away gently with the Force. Olie's eyes widened as he watched Ben push his weapons down, watched as Ben whispered, "I would be appreciative if you would not point weapons at my throat."

He passed Olie and whispered, "she is hurt, I hope that it isn't your doing."

For a moment the guard looked shocked and disgusted at Ben's words, but he covered quickly by growling, "I would not know, I do not have the Force."

Ben paused in front of Kiala and reached out gently for her hand, which was dropping tiny scarlet pearls onto the cream tile, and her dress. He sighed as he motioned to the bench seat that was resting against the wall. Kiala backed up and sat down softly, her eyes on Olie the whole time, even when Ben sat down next to her. Gently, as if he were reaching towards a frightened bird, Ben pulled Kiala's hand towards him, gently pulling her fingers apart to reveal the gash that ran through the center of her palm. It continued to drip blood softly, letting little drops of scarlet life roll off of Kiala's hand and onto her blue dress where they blossomed like devilish flowers. Ben glanced up at her then, wondering why she would have possibly done this to herself, or who would done this to her. He glanced over his shoulder at Olie, a silent invitation for her to answer quietly, but the Queen remained silent, her eyes on Olie as if he would shoo Ben away soon.

The guard stood near the doors still though, his shirt blowing slightly in the breeze that had picked up since they had landed an hour ago. His hair floated around him softly and he glared at Ben when he noticed that the young Jedi was staring at him. Ben narrowed his eyes as well before returning his attention back to Kiala's hand and her present situation. Gently as to not open the wound further, Ben opened her palm more and whispered, "did you cut it with something?"

"I drop a glass bowl and tried to pick up the pieces." Kiala's response was softer than the wind and Ben almost didn't hear it, spare the end where her voice pinched in pain as he opened the wound even further. He glanced up then and whispered, "I don't see any glass in the wound."

"Olie got it all out, he was about to wrap it when you intruded." Her voice was hardly bitter, in fact it sounded weak and fearful as she tired to turn and glare at Ben. He smiled up at her and then sensing her pain through the Force he lowered his eyes back to the wound and replied, "It's not too deep, it will require a wrap though."

He let go of her hand, and Kiala snatched it back quickly, as if Ben had burned it, and wrapped her other hand around it in protection. Ben glanced at her with a raised brow before he tore a piece his tunic fabric off, and reached out his hand for hers. She glanced down at his hand for a moment and then whispered, "You tore your clothes."

"I've torn many tunics to patch up cuts, one more won't kill me," Ben replied with a blithe smile as he reached for her hand once more. As if sensing his desire to help her, she held her hand out tentatively and watched as Ben cradled it and began wrapping it softly. She winced as Ben pulled the cloth tight to apply pressure, but she didn't pull away. Her eyes watched his work with an intense sort of fascination, as if she had never seen anything like it. When she pulled her hand back and ran her fingertips along the fabric and whispered her thanks.

They were silent for a moment before Ben rose and said, "if that will be all your Highness, then I should be going," she glanced up at him and then interrupted by grabbing his wrist and saying, "I was actually calling you to see if you and Master Durron had settled in."

"We have, thank you for your concern your Highness." Ben bowed his head as respectfully as he could and then backed away, letting Kiala's fingers fall from around his wrist. He turned and left the balcony then, trying to shake the feeling that the Queen had been trying to keep him there with her small talk. He frowned as he passed by Olie who glared at him openly, doing absolutely nothing to hide his annoyance at the fact that the Jedi had been the one to take care of his queen. With a reluctant nod he motioned towards the doors and said, "thank you Jedi Knight Skywalker, we will see you tonight before the dinner."

Ben blinked in surprise for a moment, dinner? No one had said anything about a formal dinner, let alone accompanying the Queen of Onderon to one. He frowned after his revelation at the fact that perhaps it had been discussed on board the shuttle that he and Kyp had missed, and with a smile that didn't really reach his eyes, said, "thank you for the warning, I'll be sure to meet you and her Highness at say… seven this evening?"

Olie frowned, apparently surprised that Ben had known anything at all about when to meet, with that thought his eyes narrowed as he realized that Ben had probably read into his mind for that information. Ben smiled at his conclusion and then turned and walked off the balcony.

As he walked through the room a second time, ruminating on what he was possibly going to wear since his tunic was now torn near the bottom, he stepped on something that cracked. He took a step back in surprise and then saw the soft glint of broken glass. His eyes narrowed instantly at where the glass could have possibly come from, until he looked up and saw the shattered hand mirror sitting on the bed. He reached out and turned the mirror over. It was shattered beyond belief, but the drops of blood were unmistakeable. He let out a sigh of displeasure and then crouched down to glance the floor over. Sure enough, there was a single piece that was stained with blood.

(/)

At seven in the evening sharp, Kiala exited her chambers, and to Ben's surprise she was dressed relatively casual for a supposed "nice" dinner. The ensemble she had worn that morning was long gone, replaced now with a simple green silk dress that was relatively modest. Olie followed behind, still wearing the same clothes and greasy smirk that stated he had gotten his way in something without anyone knowing. Ben dipped his head, as Kyp did, politely to Kiala who in turn, glanced away and then continued walking down the long marble hallway. Olie fell into step on her right and Kyp glared at Ben as they followed, hissing, "what did you do now?"

"I didn't do anything, something must have happened." Ben replied innocently, trying to hide the image of the blood on the floor of the Queen's chambers in his head where Kyp wouldn't be able to see it. The Jedi Master appeared satisfied with the answer and eventually turned his eyes forward to say to Olie, "is there a specific security concept you have in mind?"

The young man glanced around at them and with a glare that rivaled the icy outbacks of Hoth replied, "yes, stay out of my way, I am the guard here, you are present for emergencies only."

Kyp narrowed his eyes in response, emergencies were not on the agenda, from what the Queen had said, they were the security detail here. If the punk in front of them believed any differently, then he had a serious hit coming when lightsabers had to come out. If such an emergency as the young Captain of the Guard was possibly thinking did come up, and the odds of that happening at such a huge summit meeting where security had to be in the high hundreds-low thousands, seemed absolute ludicrous. Someone would have to honestly be suicidal if they wanted to try something like that. If one was looking at the facts, the odds were much too high that this trip would be uneventful and a waste of time. Kyp almost had a mind to grab Ben and snag a transport at least near the Shedu Maad, then get ahold of Ben's cousin or someone to come pick them up off some dust ball in the middle of nowhere. He had the mind to do it, but Luke had warned him that something was definitely wrong and he had to stay and keep and eye on everything. Besides, Kyp wasn't sure he would be able to drag Ben away from the Queen now. The kid had seen something when he went to speak with the Queen earlier, something had happened in there, because now the kid had an almost protective envelope around her. Maybe that was the reason the Queen walked with so much confidence now, like some unknown force was pushing her back straighter and her shoulders further back. As far as Kyp was concerned, there wasn't a trace of that guilt that he had sensed on the shuttle over. She walked like nothing had happened, but underneath all of the bolstered self-confidence, there was something else… something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Before he could get a real view on what it could possibly be, they arrived at the doors to the grand gallery.

The doors were swung wide to admit everyone inside, and as they passed through them, Ben's senses came alive with all the information flowing into the room. Everyone had some intent or another, none were dangerous, but all were mostly self-centered. Frowning, Ben turned his gaze to a group of older ambassadors who obviously knew each other well and watched as the exchanged greetings and then broke into pleasant conversation. Kyp snorted softly and then said, "if anyone tries to tell you that backwater planets are home to the scum and villainy of this galaxy, tell them to look inward at Corasaunt and all of these meetings."

Ben snorted softly to hide his laughter and Kiala glanced back at them momentarily, and then as if she were sneaking it, she smiled at Ben and then faced forward once more. From the right side, Tenel Ka appeared with Allana in tow. Both were dressed modestly like Kiala, and Tenel Ka bowed her head respectfully and then putting her hand on the back of Allana's head, pushed her daughter's head forward in the sign of respect. Kiala dipped her head as well and Ben didn't miss Olie bristle at the action. Tenel Ka took Kiala's hand in her's, and Kiala tried to pull it away, making the Queen Mother blink in surprise.

"I apologize Queen Mother, but I accidentally cut my hand on some glass earlier today," Kiala tried to offer a smile but the Queen Mother took her other hand instead and whispered, "A shame, I hope you are okay," she glanced at Ben and with a smile and a wink she directed the jib at him, "I would have thought your Jedi Knight would have kept that from happening."

"We were not in her presence at the time," Kyp covered quickly, as he glanced at Olie who in turn was glaring at Ben. Tenel Ka's eyes glanced to the Captain on the Guard and then directed her attention back onto the young Queen of Onderon to say, "my deepest sympathies to you though Kiala, if there is anything I can do to alleviate any of the pain you are going through, I will gladly do it."

Kiala appeared taken aback and Olie stepped in quickly to growl, "I assure you nothing is wrong that could cause your sympathies."

Allana narrowed her eyes at Olie and said, "of course there is! It's not nothing when someone's dad dies."

There is was again, that explosion of guilt and agony that erupted from Kiala, Ben noted carefully as Olie grabbed Kiala's arm and pulled her away from the Queen Mother and her daughter. "Who told you, it is classified information-"

"No one informed us, we just assumed with Kiala being here on her own-" Tenel Ka began only to be silence by Olie spitting, "that is Queen-"

"Enough, I don't think we need this to sprawl into a fight, besides, I believe your Queen has enough breath in her body to speak for herself." Kyp growled as he stepped between the agitated Olie and the furious Tenel Ka. The tension between the three people began to draw attention, and sure enough a few guards came over. One of them holding what looked like a nasty stun staff narrowed his eyes at Kyp and whispered, "is anything the matter?"

"nothing that can't be quickly fixed, thank you." Kyp replied, his tone inferring no further interjections. The guard's frown only drooped further until it looked like the look would become permanent. Kiala seemed to shake off her mood in time to whisper, "really, everything is under control, my Captain of the Guard just… overreacted."

Tenel Ka glanced to her, curiosity rolling off of her in waves as she looked the young queen up and down. Olie glanced over his shoulder at Kiala who stepped forward and nodding pleasantly to her guard said, "Olie, perhaps you should go cool down. I'm sure the Jedi can handle my security tonight."

For a second, Ben seriously thought that Olie would grab Kiala and drag her from the dinner in general. He braced himself to stop the guard only for him to narrow his eyes at Kiala and then nod his head silently, conceding the victory and leaving. Kiala turned back to the Queen Mother and then bowing her head she whispered, "if you will excuse me for a moment."

With that the Queen vanished into the crowd, not without Ben following her though. Keeping track of her in the crowd grew harder as the dress colors started to blend, and eventually, Ben realized that she was most likely trying to lose him, eventually he pushed his way through and saw her standing on the balcony alone.

The cold night air bit his cheeks as he walked outside, he paused through in the doorway, realizing she probably wanted her space and that was why she had tried to run from him. They stood in silence for a long time, Ben's eyes tracing the fading light of the sun on the horizon, waiting for the Queen to decide she wanted to go back inside. Eventually, a set of lanterns came to life, illuminating her so he could only see her shadowy figure. Standing there alone, she looked so solemn and sad that Ben almost backed off the threshold and stood inside to give her even more privacy. He had begun to turn and walk back inside when she whispered, so softly he almost didn't hear it, "Ben, what was your mother like?"

For a moment, he though he had misheard her, of course many people had known about his mother's death, he hadn't expected the Queen of Onderon to though. He stood frozen in the doorway then, unsure as to if he should respond of not, his throat closed up around the memories that flooded to the surface, until eventually he realized that he had to let it out or else he would collapse from oxygen deprivation. Softly, without turning he whispered, "she was… brave."

In the reflection from the glass window, Ben saw Kiala turn to look at him, one of her hands resting on the banister, the other resting on her heart; her eyes were eager to hear what he had to say, and eventually she tentatively whispered, "is that all you remember about her?"

Ben turned to look at her, his voice hoarse around the words as he whispered, "it's not something I like to talk about, I'm sorry your Highness."

For a moment, Kiala looked like she was going to drop it before she turned back to the horizon and whispered, "my mother was also very brave. She was beautiful too, I remember that well. I-I used to go to her rooms when she was gone on diplomatic summits and lie among her dresses so I could remember her smell. She always smelled like the _ithian_ flower. She kept a vase of them on her night table next to a comb that she used to brush my hair with, and," Kiala appeared to be trying to recollect something and when she finally spoke her voice was barely a whisper , "a hand mirror."

Ben closed his eyes and turned away, could he really confined with the Queen? They were from different levels of pain, his a dull ache that he had been trying to push back for years, hers, still fresh as new fallen snow. The pain was so similar though, perhaps he could help her move past it and not have to push it away like he always had to. When he turned his gaze back to her, he sighed and whispered, "my mother was gone often, so was my dad. When they came back, she used to let me sleep with them so that I could just know they were there. When I got older she would bring me little trinkets back from wherever it was she had been. My favorite was a small token coin that was from the Outer Rim. It was… burned… when Corasaunt fell under Abeloth."

Kiala glanced at him over her shoulder, those blue eyes filled with tears that were starting to spill over as she confided in someone. Suddenly she reached out and whispered, "please, come here, I don't want you to grieve alone."

Ben felt the mental barriers he had set up when he was younger kick in at her comment, and swallowing his pain and emotion he whispered, "I stopped grieving a long time ago your Highness."

As suddenly as the moment between them had begun, it ended. There was a fanfare inside and Ben whispered, "you should return inside your Highness, people will want to speak with you."

With that he turned on his heel and walked inside, horrified that he had let the Queen of Onderon so far under his defenses where she unintentionally cut him the deepest.


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter 3 **

_ "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.  
>Desmond Tutu<em>

Later that evening the snow fall began. The wind beat hard against the windows, and the torch light in the hallways made the shadows stretch into dark shapes before Ben's eyes as he followed the Queen of Onderon back to her rooms. Kyp was waiting outside of her rooms, and with a dip of his head, he opened the door and stepped aside so she could enter. Kiala offered him a smile and then passed by, her dress whispering across the floor as she entered her room. Kyp bowed his head again and went to close the door only for the Queen to glance over her shoulder and say to Ben, "thank you for stay with me tonight."

Ben nodded and then bowing his head he took a step back and started down the corridor to his rooms. Kyp sighed at his actions and then stepping back as well he said, "I apologize on his behalf, good night you Highness."

Kiala lowered her eyes to the tile floor and then nodding tensely, she disappeared into the darkness of her rooms whereupon Olie, who had been sulking in the shadows, slammed the door behind her. Kyp eyed the doors for a moment, distaste and annoyance rolling of him in waves, all directed towards the guard. Not a dash of respect or humility was present in the young man, and quite honestly, Kyp was on his last nerve with him. He had met many men like this, egotistical and brash with no respect for anyone but themselves, and it never ceased to amazing him how irritating they could be.

He paused in front of Ben's doors on his way back to his own, debating whether or not to let the situation defuse on it's own, or go in and take it apart piece by piece. Of course Ben would probably be upset either way, leaving Kyp between a rock and hard place and putting Ben through the same thing. In brutal honesty, Kyp believed that they should leave that night. It was obvious the queen was fine, and if anything went wrong she had her omnipotent guard to protect her. She wouldn't need them, as Olie had said earlier, they were nothing but extra meat shields incase something did happen, and Kyp had no interest in becoming cannon fodder for the pretty little queen.

The door opened and Ben narrowed his eyes at Kyp before saying, "are you going to come in or are you just going to stand out here the whole night watching my door?"

Kyp smiled before side stepping Ben in the huge doorway and entering the room. Ben's room was more sparse than that of the queen's but still well decorated. He had appeared to have not settled in at all, his bag was sitting on one of the chairs in the small living space, his boots were still on, and he appeared rather agitated by even being here.

"Struggling to settle in?" Kyp inquired as he stepped into the more grandiose living space; he collapsed onto the couch and propped his boots up on the small knee high table in front of him, trying to get comfortable. Ben closed the door to the cold hallway outside and then stepped into the room, watching the snow batter the window and howl as it maneuvered its way through the canyon created by the mountain peaks. Kyp glanced out the window and then said, "quite the view you have here."

Ben snorted to hide his amusement and then recoiled, "if the snow wasn't there, you would be able to see the durasteel wall right there." He gestured out the floor to ceiling window and then paced towards it and put his hands in his pockets. Resting against one of the huge pillars that framed the entrance to what would have been a balcony, he stood in silence. Kyp sighed and then rose and followed Ben's steps until he stood next to the young man and said, "a shame, I'm sure my view is no different."

Ben finally cracked a smile at that one, but didn't respond. Kyp felt a smile tugging at his lips as well, good, he was half-way through the hardest part of this conversation then. Sighing, he turned to look out at the snow and then murmured, "quite the dinner tonight," he paused to see Ben's reaction and sure enough, the young man's features darkened considerably forcing Kyp to choose his next words carefully, "what did she say on the balcony, I saw you two speaking, then you left rather agitated."

"It was nothing," Ben insisted as he tried to turn and leave the scene quickly. Kyp put his hand on Ben's shoulder though and pushed him back up against the pillar and warned, "not so quick, you're going to talk to me whether you like it or not."

"Glad you can understand that," Ben jested as he tried to pull away again, only for Kyp to press his forearm across Ben's chest, forcing him up against the pillar. The two men glared at each other momentarily until Ben lied, "she told me that she was uncomfortable talking to Tenel Ka."

"Ah, and that is why you were _so very_ upset when you left the balcony," Kyp drawled as he released Ben slowly. Ben rubbed the spot where Kyp's elbow had been pressing into his chest and retorted, "yes, I was upset because it was disrespectful when Tenel has done nothing to her."

He moved past Kyp who in turn followed him around the couch and confessed, "I don't like the Captain of the Guard either, the longer I spend around him, the more he irritates me."

Ben was silent as he unbuttoned his tunic, his back to Kyp, leaving the Jedi Master rather curious at what his reaction might be. He paused from removing the tunic, apparently aware of the older man's eyes. The silence was stifling as Ben remained with his back turned and his expression hidden in the shadows. Eventually, Ben slipped the tunic off his shoulders and whispered to the stillness, "glad we agree on that as well."

Kyp snorted and watched Ben step into the sleeping room, there was a soft rummaging and a thud as Ben tossed his bag into the corner of the room where it was out of sight. He emerged from the room dressed in a loose, thin, long sleeved shirt. The dark, midnight blue color blended into the shadows behind him and the only thing that let Kyp know that Ben had returned was the youth's titian hair. He settled down in the chair across from Kyp and whispered, "the more time I spend around her, the more I want to dig into her parent's deaths and figure out what happened. I feel like it plays a suspiciously large part in her recent actions."

Shrugging slightly, Kyp gazed out the window at the wild flurries of snow that danced across the balcony, trying to put together a picture that was missing far too many parts. He had two parts now that Ben had mentioned that comment, one was that the queen's parents were a sore subject with her and should be further investigated, two was that Ben was _very_ interested in the queen, a little too interested now that Kyp thought about it. He glanced over at Ben, who had his elbows on his knees and his forehead resting on his steepled fingers, and prodded gently, "do you enjoy her company?"

Ben glanced up, his blue-grey eyes were wide and his lips were open just slightly. As soon as his shock had worn off, which was fairly quick, Ben's eyes narrowed and replied, "what does it matter?"

"Oh, it doesn't. I was just wondering since it might be in our best interests if we leave tonight." Kyp watched Ben for a reaction, hoping that the youth would explode in fury, he wasn't disappointed.

"Leave! As in _leave _for good? We can't do that, that would be wrong, completely and absolutely wrong," the youth had leaped to his feet and was pacing back and forth in front of Kyp who in turn was watching the spectacle with a bemused smile, "further more, it's our duty to protect her! If we leave, what good would we be doing then? Besides, I think that Olie is doing something to her, that would explain the glass on the floor and the cut-"

Kyp's smile fell instantly and he was on his feet with his hands on Ben's shoulders, forcing the youth to look at him as he interrupted, "wait what! What is this about glass and her being injured? Is emthat /emwhat she was talking about tonight with Tenel Ka?"

Ben remained frozen, his stare blank, and it was then Kyp knew that Ben had kept this from him on purpose. The agitation that rose up inside of him quickly turned to fury at the fact that the young man didn't trust him enough to help Kiala. He released Ben's shoulders with a huff and growled, "you kept that from me, didn't you."

It wasn't a statement, nor was it a question, leaving Ben rather worried about if he should answer or not. Eventually, he nodded slowly, turning away from Kyp. They both remained a few steps away from one another, both trying to stifle their emotions. After a few more moments of intense silence, Kyp let out a tenuous sigh, his shoulders sagged gently and he glanced over his shoulder at Ben who had taken those few moments to sit on the couch. Kyp rested his hand on Ben's shoulder, squeezing gently he whispered, "I won't ask why you didn't tell me, but I expect you to tell me everything in the future if you don't want to jeopardize this mission."

Ben's reply was a dip of his head, an unspoken promise, one he intended to keep.

(/)

The night wind howled though the hallway, and as Ben lie awake looking up at ceiling he couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. The amount of sleep he had had in the past two days had been none, and he knew he needed to sleep more than anything else. He couldn't bring himself to, not with how disturbed he was by his own thoughts. The Captain of the Guard seemed so sincere in his care of the Queen, but his constant actions sent shivers though the Force to Ben, who received them with a mildly biased opinion. Was his opinion his instincts though, the Force hitting him above the head and telling him to pay attention? He wanted to believe that the guard was bad for the queen, so badly that it twisted his insides into knots, but he didn't want to believe it was jealousy. He refused to be jealous of the guard, there was no reason for him to be.

He didn't want to admit it to anyone, not even the storm of his own thoughts that he liked the queen more than he should. He had hardly known her, but the more time he spent thinking about her, the more he wanted to be around her. She had dug into his mind and heart with her story and as he tossed and turned, he couldn't help but think about her.

A particularly large gust of wind slammed into the window, snapping Ben awake and causing him to stumble up. He paused in the doorway to his sleeping area and glanced around the room, his eyes narrowing as he extended in the Force to sense any presence but his own. He heard only the sound of the howling wind which was actually decreasing slightly, apparently the worst of the storm was over.

He stepped into the freezing room and shivered slightly at the cold before turning to go back to his restless night. As he crossed the doorway, he heard a soft whispering of a door closing. He flipped around, calling his lightsaber to his hand from the night table. It slammed into his palm and he ignited it as he brought it up to a defensive posture. The blue light from his blade sent erie shadows along the walls and he took soft steps around the room looking for the intruder. He paused before a small section of the wall, and reaching out to touch it, he sensed another presence that had just passed though the wall.

Whispering to himself that ghost did not exist, he pushed on the wall. It swung quietly inside and he frowned as he glanced inside. The hallway beyond was dark and musty, with heavy stone walls that seemed to continued for a few meters in the darkness. Ben slipped inside quietly, his bare feet cold against the stone floor. Reaching behind him, he brought the door to a closed point, open barely a crack, allowing him a quick escape should he get ambushed. Taking tentative steps into the darkness, he held his lightsaber aloft and used its light as a glowstick.

After about twenty meters, Ben found another crack in the wall. Running his fingertips along it, he found a small latch that opened it slowly. He glance through the crack he had created and was not surprised to see the Queen's rooms. This was the servants passages then, nothing too interesting. Now though he had to figure out who had slipped into his room and fled so quickly. He leaned against the frame and tried his best to see around the room while relying on the Force. Someone was awake, and he saw a slight shadow pass in front of his hiding place, causing him to duck quickly back into the passage to avoid detection. They passed softly and he heard a soft female voice whisper, "Is everything alright ma'am?"

"Yes, thank you. I-I was just having trouble sleeping." Kiala's voice wasn't very far away, and judging from what he could see, he was exactly where he had seen the servant disappear earlier that day. Frowning, he opened the door a little further and saw Kiala standing near the doors to her balcony, her long blond hair falling in loose curls down her back. She had her back turned to him, but he could still tell that she was hugging herself tightly, almost trying to keep warm. Olie passed by the door and Ben once more slipped back, not as quickly as before though. When he came back to the crack he saw the guard step behind the queen and growl, "you should sleep, you will not have time to get enough in the coming days."

He waved the servant away, who bowed softly, and then turned and started to come towards the door. Ben cursed silently and pushed himself up against the far wall, a few steps down the hallway. The young servant entered the passage and closed the door softly behind her. She turned from the door and started away from the Ben with a candle glowing softly in her hand. He held his breath as long as he dared and once he was sure that she was gone, he cracked open the door again and watched Olie as he stepped up to Kiala and hissed, "what did he want when he followed you to the balcony?"

Kiala pulled away and crossed towards the vanity whispering, "nothing, he was just doing his job."

"You mean _my_ job. It is my duty to protect you here. Don't forget that." Olie warned as he followed her. With a shaking hand that Ben could see from his position, Kiala picked up a brush and started to run it through her hair. Olie growled softly and then grabbing her shoulder and flipping her around he hissed, "are you even listening!"

Kiala narrowed her eyes at him and set the brush down. Olie smiled softly and then running his fingers down her cheek softly he whispered, "what did he want?"

"Nothing, I was the one talking to him." Kiala turned quickly with her comment and Olie turned as well, which meant from his vantage point, Ben couldn't see Olie's reaction, but the guard must have been furious because he grabbed Kiala's shoulder tightly causing her to yelp softly.

"What did you talk to him about?" Each word was a blaster bolt through Kiala it seemed as she tried to pull away.

"I just asked him about his mother, and told him a little about mine."

Olie released her shoulder and growled something under his breath at her before stalking out of the room. Kiala took a few shaky breaths after her departure before she sank onto the stool on front of her vanity. Hwer hands trembled as she rested her head in them and she remained that way for a few minutes, her breath labored and her face buried. Eventually she straightened herself though, and rose to cross to her sleeping chambers. She passed the door and Ben closed it softly then, refusing to see anymore.

The next morning Ben was waiting in the hallway outside of the queen's rooms, his breath creating a small puff of mist every time he exhaled. Eventually Kyp joined him, rubbing his hands together against the cold. He gave Ben a weak smile and said, "stars it's cold. I could have sworn it was warm yesterday."

Apparently their conversation last night had been forgotten, and Kyp had forgiven Ben for withholding information. Ben smiled and tugged his tunic collar up high, trying to keep as much body heat trapped as possible. "It was sunny yesterday. We must have just arrived at the beginning of winter."

Kyp snorted but their conversation was cut short as the door to the queen's cambers opened. She stepped out wrapped in a think winter cloak to fight the chill. She offered Ben a smile and then through a slight chattering of her teeth she whispered, "quite the weather they have, I was expecting something warmer. They must be having a very cold winter."

"I suppose so your Highness." Ben replied as he and Kyp both bowed their heads. She smiled and then glancing down the hallway she murmured, "I suppose Olie will not be joining us this morning."

"We have yet to see him your Highness," Kyp responded with a tight smile that didn't really reach his eyes. If the guard decided not to show up then there was no point in waiting for him, or mourning that fact. Kiala smiled gently and then glanced out the window behind Ben, her eyes widened in awe and she moved past him to whisper, "I didn't realize it had snowed so… much."

Ben glanced over his shoulder at her, and Kyp didn't miss the extra protectiveness that the youth threw in his gaze. Reaching out to touch the window, Kiala smiled wildly and whispered, "I want to go outside."

Ben raised his brow in surprise and said, "are you sure? You did indirectly mention that you did not pack for this kind of weather your Highness."

Kiala laughed gently and turning to Ben she replied coyly, "then come with me and help me keep warm." Her eyes were bright and playful for the first time, and Ben hated to admit, but he liked the way they sparkled when she was really happy. Her eyes turned mischievously down the corridor and gathering the edges of her cloak in her hands, she took off down the corridor at a slight jog. Ben cried out and took off after her, leaving Kyp to watch them, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he turned away and head towards the Queen Mother's rooms.

(/)

Kiala came to the large front stairway, laughing she took the steps down two at a time, almost succeeding in falling twice. Ben paused at the top and deciding against his more adult intuition, he sat on the railing and slid down after the queen. Arriving only a few steps behind her, he leaped off, stumbled with the movement but continued after her none the less. Kiala reached the doors first, pushing against them with all her might but never getting them to budge. Ben laughed as he came up next to her and pulled one of them open to reveal the crystal white courtyard outside. Kiala paused for a moment, her laugh shaking out to nothing as she took a step out into the bitter cold. The snow crunched under her foot and she glance down quickly before reaching out and running her hand along the stone statue to her immediate right, brushing some of the snow off. She gathered some in her hands and glanced over her shoulder at Ben who had his back turned and was closing the door. With a mischievous smile she pressed the snow together in a vague ball shape and turning slowly to not make any noise, she threw it.

There was a moment of silence when the snow hit Ben in the back of the head, until Kiala broke into a fit of laughter. Glancing over his shoulder at her, with pieces of snow stuck to his cheek and hair, he watched the Queen with a smile that he was obviously trying to hide as she grabbed at the statue to support herself and her fit of giggles. Ben smiled crookedly and couching down he gathered up a small mound of snow in his bare hands. It bit into his warm skin, but at the moment the desire for even the meekest from of playful revenge was too much. He rose slowly, after he had gathered a good handful of snow, to make sure that the young woman had plenty of time to see what he was doing.

Kiala's smile fell quickly and her giggles stopped when she realized the game she had started. Still smiling at the poor girl's coming misfortune, Ben packed the snow and informed her, "I should let you know that among my cousins and most of the children my age, I was the best at snowball fights. You should probably run now."

Kiala let out a scream and took off running across the courtyard. She scattered snow behind her, and he ruby red cloak swished across the snow behind her as if she were leaving a blood red train in her wake. Ben struggled after her, letting her win even though he knew that if he wanted to, he could over take her in seconds and easily hit her with the snow. She turned a corner deeper into the courtyard and towards a small grove of semi-barren trees, with Ben following close behind. She ducked behind one of the huge trees, with the leaves concealing large mounds of snow in its branches. The tree she had chosen appeared safest, with its giant trunk that could shelter from any projectile from behind. If she had looked up though, she would have noticed the branches laden with mounds of snow that were trapped between the mass of tangled branches.

Ben noticed this with a smile as he appeared behind the tree. A small sliver of the Queen's face appeared from behind the tree as if she were trying to gauge how long she would be able to hide there, before that sliver vanished with a swish of golden blond curls. Ben stopped a few steps away from the shadow created by the branches and reaching up in the Force with a malicious smile, he shifted a branch just slightly and was rewarded with a loud shriek of surprise from the Queen. She came out from behind the trunk, brushing snow off her shoulders and out of her hair. As she brushed herself off she threw Ben an annoyed glance that would have melted all the snow around them if she actually put fire behind it, and whined, "That's not fair, you used the Force."

Ben's smile widened, his eyes actually lighting up with his laughter that he was barely able to contain. He dropped into a deep bow and teased "I _apologize _your Highness, you never said a_nything_ against it."

With a snort Kiala continued to brush herself off, apparently not amused by his teasing. Ben watched her as he rose from his bow, amused with her reaction. Eventually, Kiala lifted her eyes, and the concealed snowball hit Ben hard in the chest. He cried out in surprise and stumbled backwards at the force of it. Kiala laughed at her triumph before turning and screaming in terror as she ran through the grove, away from Ben who had stooped down to pick up more snow.

(/)

Inside it was much warmer, and as Ben opened the door to the Queen's rooms and bowed his head to her, he felt a tug of emotion. It had been years since he had laughed as much as he had in the courtyard, and it had been even longer since he had let all his barriers down and just enjoyed himself. The Queen appeared to have that startling effect on him, drawing out his most private thoughts, and holding his most precious emotions in her hands. She held them like a frightened bird though, cradling them as if they truly meant something to her. For a moment, Ben entertained the thought that perhaps they did, but he turned away quickly from that, the Queen of Onderon did not care for him that way, she never had and she never would.

Kiala paused in the doorway and turning to glance at Ben over her shoulder she whispered, "would you like to stay? I don't have many people to talk to," she paused for a moment and Ben took that moment to meet her eyes, as soon as his blue one's met hers, she continued, "it has been so long since I have just talked with someone."

Ben raised his brow in speculation, as much as he wanted to say yes and continue into the Queen's rooms, it was not his place to do so, and although a secret part of him yearned to appease her and to allow her to curl up inside of him and find comfort there, he knew that his place was outside of her walls. Bowing his head in respect he whispered, "forgive me your Highness, but I'm sure Olie would not be please to return and find me here."

Kiala turned her face away and whispered her response, "of course, thank you Ben, you may go then." With that, the Queen of Onderon stepped into her chambers and Ben watched her receding form as it entered the darkness. She glanced over her shoulder at him only once, as if inviting him one last time, and Ben almost couldn't resist the temptation to follow her. Forcing his emotions and desires down though he bowed smartly once more to her. She nodded her head, the gestures of both almost a parting now, a permeant farewell between the two of them, where whispers were shared that no one could understand. Pulling himself out of the bow, and closing the door behind the Queen, he paused outside them. He debated once more, only to turn and force one foot in front of the other as he began the long steps down the hall to his own doors.

His foot falls echoed along the flagstones as he quickened his pace, refusing to turn and succumb to Kiala. To fall into those icy blue eyes would mean binding himself to a woman who had yet to prove that she was trustworthy, and yet out in the courtyard, he had so desperately wanted to trust her, to know that she was nothing more than a young woman thrown into an unfortunate situation. Her eyes had melted every so slightly in that hour they had spent together, and Ben hadn't missed how they had become like warm pools of melting ice, as if the coolness between them had melted as he lowered his walls. Pausing outside his doors, he reached his hand out only to feel another presence down the hallway watching him. Turning slowly to the left, he saw Olie coming down the hall towards him, passing Kiala's chambers and continuing toward him. Sighing heavily, Ben adjusted his wet robes as best he could, and tried to appear presentable, even though he was dripping water onto the flagstones. Olie's confident gait slowed until he was standing almost toe to toe with Ben, and glaring down into the Jedi's face he smiled and said, "it appears you actually know your place around here."

Ben snorted softy and then turning the handle on his door he murmured, "I've just learned my lessons well."

"I apologize _Jedi Knight _Skywalker, I'm bad of hearing, what was that?" Olie whispered with a greasy smile. Ben sighed once more and then glancing at Olie with a smile of his own, replied, "are you not supposed to be guarding your Queen?"

Olie's smile fell slowly only to be replaced with a sneer quickly, his eyes bore into Ben's, freezing him in place with the intensity of the stare. For a moment, the Force was alive between the two of them, whispering from one to the other. Dancing like falling snow flakes between them, it swept along the hallway like a whirlwind and alerted Kyp that something was transpiring between Ben and another soul.

Ben returned Olie's glare and whispered, "I know my duty, do you know your's?"

"Are you daring to question me?" Olie growled, his hand falling to the wicked rapier at his hip. Ben narrowed his eyes, his own hand gracing the hilt of his lightsaber but not quite reaching to draw it. For a moment they stood toe to toe, both of them radiating annoyance at the other until Ben pulled himself to his full height and growled, "I've never done anything to harm you, leave or I will make you leave."

If anything, Olie took Ben's warning as a threat. He brought himself to his own full stance, which was half a head taller than Ben, but malicious intents always made one shorter. For the span of one breath Ben swore that he thought Olie was going to leap at him and start the skirmish that was in the making. From down the hall there was a slight cough as the Queen's aid appeared. He was dressed in dark crimson and the image drew to mind a hazy vision before Ben's eyes that he couldn't quite picture clearl y enough to understand.

Olie growled under his breath and the aid rested his hand on Olie's shoulder as he appeared behind the guard and resting his other hand on Ben's shoulder as well, he squeezed tightly. Ben almost pulled away in surprise at the ferocity of the older man's grip but he was held in place by some force. The aid smiled icily at both men before whispering, "perhaps you would care to break apart your little powwow before someone notices?"

He turned those icy eyes on Olie and hissed, "the Queen is in need of you presence," his voice dropped to a softer growl that Ben almost didn't catch but picked up none-the-less, "I didn't bring you on this assignment to start fights in hallways." He released Olie's shoulder and the young man pulled away in reproach and then throwing one more sneer in Ben's direction he turned on his heel and stormed off.

As soon as Olie was far enough away the aid turned to Ben, his eyes betrayed the calm on the surface as he hissed, "try to keep yourself in line Jedi Knight Skywalker, I approve of many things my Queen does, but I did not approve of her choice in you. You are here because of her good graces, do try to keep yourself there."

Ben and the aid remained in the same position for the span of one breath until the aid narrowed his eyes and with a slightly nod, passed Ben and continued down the hallway as if nothing had happened. Ben glanced at the aid's back over his shoulder, he shivered slightly before opening the door and continuing inside.

(/)

An hour later, after Ben had changed and sat methodically thinking about what had transpired in the hallway, he had his thoughts interrupted by the door into his chambers opening. He stood before the fireplace, his forearm rested on the mantel as he stared into the flames. It was dark in the room since another storm had hit the palace only minutes before, hence the fire Ben had started for warmth. From behind him Kyp questioned, "what happened earlier?"

Ben closed his eyes and sighed, his chest constricting around the worry he felt every time he thought about what the aid had told him. The warmth from the flames licked at his face and for a moment he just wanted to disappear into the fire and burn until there was nothing left of himself. Resting his head onto his fist slowly, he murmured, "I have no idea, Olie started it this time-"

"And let me guess, you finished it?" Kyp offered as he came up behind Ben. He paused a few steps away and whispered, "or are you going to deny that?"

Ben turned away from the fire and faced Kyp, his irritation at the Jedi Master's assumptions obvious. "I'm not denying anything, the aid finished it, if you are so inclined to know! I didn't even have to do anything."

They were silent for a minute before Ben lowered his eyes and turned back to the fire, his silence obvious in meaning. Kyp stepped up behind him and looking into the fire as well he whispered, "the Queen requests that you accompany her tonight. Olie has been ordered to remain behind."

Ben snorted and growled, "I'm so glad that the Queen tells me these things, and alerts me first before planning something."

Kyp smiled slightly, it dropped shadows all across his face because of the fire light, and with a voice that was trying to hide it's amusement said, "a pity I'm sure, you two didn't seem to have that problem early today."

Ben's grimace was obvious, yet ominous in the firelight. The lines in his face were pulled deeper by the shadows as he turned to look out the window at the heavy falling snow. He ran his hand down his neck and murmured, "what am I accompanying her to?"

"A dinner of sorts, apparently it's a great honor to be invited and there are very few people that will be there. My guess is it's a way to gain alliances, so try not to get involved, okay?" Kyp replied with a tight smile as he patted Ben's shoulder before turning to leave. Ben flipped around to look at him and called after the older man, "what the hell am I supposed to do then?"

"I don't know Ben," Kyp answered without turning around, flicking his hand like he was swatting away a fly he continued, "stand and look attractive off to the side? After all, we Jedi do such a fantastic job of modeling our robes and boots."

Ben watched Kyp leave through the door, still completely unsure of what he was supposed to do. As soon as the doors had clanked shut, he turned back the fire and then let out a groan of frustration at the Queen, Kyp, and pretty much every other problem in his life in general. He turned away slowly and moved towards his rooms only to pause in front of the secret door into the passage way. He hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to satiate his pleasure to check on the Queen on to just stay where he was and assume she was fine. He knew going meant he would most likely not keep true to his word of staying quiet, although he couldn't quite resist the temptation. Furrowing his brow he stepped towards the door and slid it open to just listen into the passageway for any sounds. There was nothing but a hallow echoing of wind from the storm outside, and the soft drip of water from the condensation. He took a step back slowly and closed the door ever so softly, there was still a thud though as the door snapped shut completely. He stepped away from the door slowly, his eyes never leaving the faint crack in the wall, never forgetting what he had last seen when the Queen appeared to cross her Captain of the Guard.

(/)

Dressed in the nicest dress tunic he owned, Ben stood outside of the Queen's chambers. His lightsaber was hanging from his belt at the small of his back where it would be hidden from those who would be present at the dinner. He adjusted his jacket as best he could, hoping he looked at least somewhat presentable. If there was one thing his mother had taught him when he was younger it was that you could look presentable and be deadly at the same time. Not only did he have his lightsaber on him, he had his mother's viroblade tucked at the small of his back as well, with a number of other small weapons tucked away where no one would guess to look for them. His time in the GAG made him effective with all the weapons he had on him, and honestly, Ben was thankful for that, even if no one else was.

The doors from the Queen's room opened and when the aid slipped out he turned to face Ben and as he took the young Jedi in, he grimaced and then growled, "of course she did."

Ben raised his brow in surprise and then said, "so she kept this a secret from you as well?"

The aid narrowed his eyes and murmuring under his breath, he passed Ben. The young man watched the aid's back for a moment before he gained the courage to say, "I could just not go and you could take Olie with her, I'm sure that's what you would prefer."

The aid flipped around, his eyes alight with blue fire as he stormed up to Ben's face and hissed, "never undermine her authority, she makes a decision, let her suffer the consequence, the best teacher is death himself.

Ben took a half step back in surprise not the ferocity of the words, but at the bitter fury that radiated from the older man, so much animosity was built up in that comment that Ben almost felt it slide through him like a steel dagger. The aid took a step back and smoothing his tunic out he growled, "you will follow the lead of myself and the Queen, step out of line tonight, and we will see just how much longer you stay here with your friend."

Ben narrowed his eyes, but before he could reply curtly, the doors opened next to him and Kiala stepped out. Ben's eyes grazed her momentarily, but his head snapped back to look at her again. She radiated warmth, yet power seeped from every pore in her body, dousing her in a light that radiated from inside of her. She wore an elegant ball gown. Pure white, like the snow outside, it blossomed out at the low waist line, and flowed to the ground in a skirt that was decorated with flower imprints and tiny silver beads inside of them. Half of her hair was hanging down her back and the other half was twisted up simply in a beautiful style that Ben was sure his aunt would have worn if she was still in politics. Kiala smiled up at him and then stepping out in the light of the hallway, the angelic vision of her slipped away like dust in the wind, and Ben witnessed reality slipping in when he saw the tiara she wore. Her line of birth came back at him like the pain he used to feel when he was first dealing with losing his mother. She stepped up next to him and looking at him expectantly she inquired, "you will be joining us then?

Ben shook himself out mentally, refusing to be sidetracked by Kiala, and inclining his head to her, whispered, "of course your Highness, you requested it."

When he brought his eyes back to her's, one of her brows was raised in mock surprise as she whispered, "I did?"

Sighing at her games, Ben nodded and glancing over at her aid who was practically boiling over off to the side, he replied, "I suppose we should be going your Highness."

Sighing politicly at his attempt to be blunt, she nodded and said, "I suppose so Jedi Knight Skywalker."

Her aid stepped in then and offered his arm which Kiala looked at in surprise before exclaiming, "oh! I was under the impression that _Jedi Knight Skywalker _was escorting me tonight."

If the aid had been upset before, he was murderous now. Narrowing his eyes at the young queen he growled, "your Highness, I beg of you to reconsider your little endeavor."

Kiala narrowed her eyes as well before stepping closer to Ben and slipping her slender arms around his right one, and pressing herself to his side whispered, "I don't see why I should, I'm sure that Ben knows how to escort a young woman."

Opening his mouth to refuse and actually deny Kiala's statement, he was quickly interrupted by the aid hissing, "this is not a game, Kiala."

If anything, Kiala's grip became tighter on the comment, her fingers digging into Ben's arm as if she were trying to latch on and escape the position she had obviously put herself in. "I think perhaps," Ben began softly as he looked down at Kiala, "you need to be escorted by your aid your Highness, I'm not educated in the ways of etiquette like he is."

"it's not that difficult," Kiala argued as her grip grew even tighter, practically stopping the blood flow from the rest of Ben's body into his arm, "all you have to do is bow your head and stay next to me, it's really not that hard."

Ben narrowed his eyes down at her and whispered chastely, "please your Highness, I think it's for the best." He slipped his arm out of her grip and the moment he did it he felt like he had shattered her. She stood alone and as he took a step back from her, Ben saw that flash of agony cross her features, agony mixed with something else. Fear, yes, he was sure it was fear. Utter terror mixed in with that flash of agony and Ben's brows furrowed in confusion for a moment, before he could question the queen though, the aid grabbed her arm and wrapped it around his as he pulled her down the hallway. Kiala looked over her shoulder at Ben, her eyes practically begging him as she was almost dragged down the hallway after her aid. Ben lowered his eyes, but followed none-the-less.

As they passed the torches in the hallway Ben would look up every so often, and he would catch Kiala looking back at him. He didn't miss the silent plea she sent to him, and every time he simply turned his head to the side. Her relationship with her guard and her aid was no business of his; sure, if they hurt her then it became his, but at the moment, they had done nothing to physically harm her. Olie was questionable, but the aid was not. Ben doubted the older man even knew about the guard's little dark streak that he kept hidden away behind the curtains of his mask.

Eventually the aid turned them towards the grand ballroom that Ben was sure was in this direction, but he doubted he knew exactly how to find that room. They passed many small antechambers through which Ben saw many diverse groups speaking in hushed tones. Some glanced at them as they passed by and Ben lowered his eyes in submissive respect ever single time. Kiala by then had stopped struggling against her aid as much and had begun walking on her own. The aid continued to tug her arm though, as if trying to get her to speed up a little more every turn.

Eventually, they reached the grand ballroom. Its doors were once more thrown open to the grand audience and Ben paused outside with the aid, who had finally let go of Kiala's arm. Bowing his head to whisper in her ear, he gripped her wrist tightly and when he had finished, took a step away from her and into the ballroom. Ben watched him vanish among the crowd of dresses and well groomed occupants, although he never lost sight of the man in the Force. He milled about the crowd for a moment, like a fish in a stream and then vanished within the folds of many minds.

"Will you stay the whole night?" Kiala's voice rang through the turmoil in his mind, causing Ben to glance to his right where she was staring out into the ballroom, her hands clasped loosely in front of her. Ben turned to see what she was looking at, and when he couldn't see anything but the tops of heads and the far wall, he gave up and replied, "I'm not sure, but I'll stay as long as you need me to your Highness."

Kiala reached up and slid a strand of hair behind her ear, as her fingers pushed the hair away, Ben saw a tiny sliver of white behind her ear. He frowned and tried not to point out the scar, but it drew his gaze like a magnet. Kiala seemed to sense his gaze because her icy blue eyes snapped back to him as she whispered, "is something wrong?"

Ben turned his own gaze away quickly and whispered, "no, I-I-"

"It happened a long time ago, I don't even remember what happened." Kiala whispered as she went to brush out the imaginary wrinkles in her dress, purposefully avoiding Ben's gaze. They both shuffled their feet for a moment more before the aid returned and waved the Queen forward.

She shook herself out and then smiled brightly before starting into the room, someone announced her and she was instantly swarmed by a few young men who must have taken interest in her the other night. Ben followed a few steps behind her and remained on the edge of the circle that had formed around her. A young man asked her to dance and Kiala laughed softly before whispering that she wasn't very good at dancing. She slipped away from them then, and Ben trailed after her. He got a few glares from the courtiers as he passed them, but bowed his head in respect to them anyway.

Kiala stood off to the side when he found her again, and her aid was introducing her to a two older men who took her hand and kissed it right on the knuckles and then whispered in their language a greeting. Kiala then returned a curtsey and whispered in their native tongue her thanks. Ben stepped to her right and Kiala gestured to him and introduced him. Ben blinked in surprise and her aid growled softly. Kiala smiled at him and whispered, "Ben this is the leader of Naboo, Proddo Taluka."

Ben bowed deeply and the man offered a smile to Ben as he said, "you look much like your father."

Ben smiled as he rose and said, "thank you, it's an honor to meet you."

The older man laughed and his eyes grew bright as he said, "oh no, it is an honor to meet you, young man. Not many people in the galaxy can say they spoke with a Skywalker directly."

Ben laughed at the truth of the statement, of course many people knew of his family, but few actually could say they knew him and his father. The other man in the group was a Twi'lek that offered Ben a dip of the head and a greeting in his native tongue. Ben bowed his head and tried his best to appear like he understood what was said to him. Kiala smiled and then said to Taluka, "it feels like it's been an eternity since we've seen one another, how are your children?"

Smiling, the older man wrapped his hands around Kiala's and pulling her away so that they were walking together he whispered, "wonderful, in fact young Chaz was almost begging to come along with me, just so he could see you." Kiala laughed as she slipped her hand into the crook of the older mans elbow and continued through the expansive ballroom.

Kiala laughed again at something the older man had said, and Ben slipped after them, deciding that being Kiala's shadow for the night was his job, and not exactly a terrible one at that. As soon as they were away from her aid, Kiala dropped the fake smile and Ben saw her grow rather serious as Taluka asked her how she was faring after her parents untimely deaths.

"I can't say I'm well, I miss them greatly." Kiala whispered, and Ben forced himself not to notice the pain in her aura as she thought of her parents. Taluka sighed softly and whispered, "your father was great friend of mine, let us not forget his memory. In fact, at the last summit here, he and I were discussing trade negotiations, perhaps we can continue them in his memory."

Kiala smiled and whispered, "I would like that very much."

(/)

After a few hours of standing behind Kiala as she talked to other leaders and even shooed away courtiers, Ben couldn't help noting that the more time she spent away from her aid, the more at peace she was. After shooing away another young man out for her hand that night, she huffed and said, "you'd think all they noticed was the jewels and the title before my name."

Ben smiled and said, "I've had my own fair share of those experiences."

Kaila smiled as she stepped close to him and said, "oh yes, and who captured the allusive heart of the great Ben Skywalker?" She laughed and Ben forced one with her, and tried not to think about Vestara in that moment. Kaila turned her gaze back to his as a slow waltz came on. She closed her eyes though, and turning her head slightly as if crocking her ear to listen more closely, began to sway back and forth. Ben watched her with amusement until Kiala whispered, "I know this song, my mother used to have them play it on my birthday and my father would always dance with me."

She smiled wistfully and Ben smiled sadly as he said, "it helps to hold on to the happy memories."

She opened her eyes in surprise at his comment, but avoided the comment altogether when she responded, "have you ever heard this song?"

Ben laughed and shook his head, there was very little doubt in his mind that he'd so much as heard any of the music that had been played tonight. Kiala frowned in playful annoyance before saying, "at least tell me you know how to dance!"

Ben shook his head, laughing still, only for Kiala to cry exasperated, "then I suppose I'll have to teach you!"

His laughter ended quickly as Ben said, "your Highness, I don't think-" but Kiala pulled him out onto the balcony before he could refute her. She smiled as they entered the darkness and whispered, "it will be fine, no one will see us out here."

She stopped them away from the doors, under the eves where the snow had not gathered. Taking his hand off his lightsaber she set it on her waist and whispered, "you set your dominant hand here," taking his other hand in hers she whispered, "and you hold my hand like this."

Her fingers rested softly in his and smiling up at him she took a step back, pulling him with her and then a step to the side, causing Ben to stumble slightly. Kiala laughed lightly as she breathed the count to the song. Ben eventually managed to predict the movements, forwards, backwards, right, center, right, center, backwards. Each step flowed into the next and Ben smiled as he eventually led Kiala in the dance. She smiled up at him and in the soft light her eyes were bright and warm, like stars. The lantern lights glowed in the them and turned her irises to a milky opulence, that brought that fluttering feeling back to Ben's throat. Slowly she peeled away from him, and he turned her slowly, watching as her skirt fanned out around her, and her hair floated around her like a halo. When she returned to her original position, they held each other's gaze for a few steps until Kiala slowly laid her cheek on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Ben tensed in surprise for a moment.

_ This wasn't right._

_ He shouldn't be doing this _

_ But he didn't want to stop _

Kiala's breath was warm on his neck and as they continued in the steps, unable to stop themselves, he felt himself tumbling farther and farther away from the reality of the situation, and how sacrilegious his actions were in this moment. Slowly, Ben relaxed as he finally gave into the dark recess of his heart, and Kiala seemed to melt against him as they stopped stepping and just swayed slowly. Kiala eventually whispered, "my father used to say that everything happens for a reason."

Ben nodded, his eyes closing as he went to lay his head on Kiala's. She sighed softly and then whispered, "he lived by that saying."

They swayed a little bit more before Kiala continued, "my mother wasn't always a royal. She was a stable girl in a small village on the way to the western city," she paused as if recalling something and Ben quirked his neck slightly so he could hear her better. "He was riding to meet his betrothed in the west city when his horse sprained it's ankle. My mother's stable was the closest one and when he reached it, she helped mend his horse," Ben could hear the soft smile in Kiala's voice as she continued, "he fell in love with her. If his horse hadn't sprained its ankle, then I would have never been born."

Ben glanced at the softly falling snow beside then and then whispered, "if my father's hyperdrive had never been broken, he would have never ran into my mother… literally."

Kiala glanced up at him and with a furrowed brow said, "how did he manage that?"

Ben smiled and shaking his head said, "with his normal ability to be in the complete wrong place, at the wrong time, for the right reasons."

They both laughed softly until Kiala set her cheek back on Ben's shoulder and whispered, "I suppose everything does happen for a reason then."

When Ben glanced down at her, he saw her gazing thoughtfully out into the distance. Eventually, she closed her eyes again and they fell into silence. The song ended with a flourish and as soon as the music stopped, so did the magic of the moment. Ben stepped away from Kiala quickly and coughing to clear his throat said, "we shouldn't have done that."

Kiala blinked in surprise at his abruptness before whispering, "I never meant to make you uncomfortable-"

"There you are!"

They both turned to see Kiala's aid storming across the balcony to them. Kiala's eyes closed and locked down once more as the aid grabbed her arm and growled, "what are you doing out here, there are people inside that want to speak with you."

"I-I-" Kiala stuttered for a moment, her body shaking at the cold now that she wasn't pressed against Ben sharing body heat.

"Her highness was looking for some fresh air, I just accompanied her outside." Ben answered for her, setting a soft hand on her shoulder, and offering her a smile. Kiala's eyes melted again at the smile and the corners of her lips turned up the slightest bit. The aid appeared not to care for their excuse, since he pulled Kiala towards the doors and growled something in her ear. Ben watched them go and just as the aid pulled her into the ballroom, Kiala looked over her shoulder and offered Ben a bright smile that for the first time, melted away all her grief and guilt.


	4. Chapter 4

_Beware of the half truth. You may have gotten hold of the wrong half. _

-Unknown

The next morning was warmer than the previous ones, and when Ben knocked on the Queen's door to check on her, he heard no response. Frowning slightly he went to knock again, only to pause and hesitate. She might have been sleeping still, she had retired late last night, and it could be assumed that she was still sleeping, but Ben had the distict feeling that she rose early no matter what. In the end he knocked once more and waited for her to call out for him to enter. There was no response again and in that moment, he felt the slightest whispers of distress in the Force, like someone was trying to smoother it, but it was leaking out with the sheer force of the emotion. Shoving open the doors in panic, he crossed the threshold of the room and found the entryway empty. It took him only a moment to realize that Olie's presence was nearby in the Queen's bedchambers. Crossing the giant room, his pace was quickened to a run as the distress was snuffed out quickly. He paused outside the door to her bedchambers and stretched his senses into the room to scope out the situation he would be walking into. Behind the door were two presences one emanating the distress the other a more volatile mix of emotions. Pulling back into himself, Ben pressed himself up against the door and heard the harsh breaking of voices as two people argued. His eyes narrowed as he recognized Olie unmistakable voice rising in amplitude, and Kiala's somewhat quieter tone, almost a whisper compared to Olie's. He pulled himself back after not being able to hear anything concrete and reached for the doorknob to let himself in, only to pause, unsure of announcing himself so suddenly. He let go of the door handle only to reach for it again and throw the door open when he heard the shattering of something glass.

Off to one side of the room was Kiala, her eyes hard and cold as she stared down Olie who was facing off against her from the other side of the room. Behind him, by his feet, was the shattered remains of a glass vase, with the flowers drowning in the water they had been set in a only a few moments ago. Olie's eyes snapped to Ben in the doorway and he set his jaw tightly before storming over to him and growling, "how did you get in here?"

"It's not too hard when the doors don't lock." Ben replied in kind, his hand settling on his lightsaber as he realized how volatile Olie's mix of emotions was. Kiala seemed more shocked to see him than Olie, her eyes widening in surprise as she took a few steps towards her bed and sat down on the edge.

There was silence around them for a moment before Ben raised himself to his full height and said, "is there anything I can do for you, your Highness?"

Kiala glanced to Olie quickly, her eyes shifting to meet his for only a fraction of a second before she glanced back to Ben and whispered, "no, thank you for your consideration though," she paused for a only a moment, and then without even looking at Olie whispered, "I understand perfectly well Olie."

Olie huffed at her dismissal but dropped into a bow none-the-less, his head crocking to the side slightly as he inclined it. He rose stiffly and Ben watched as he limped slightly out of the room. Kiala watched him go as well and then filled the silence, "he twisted his ankle this morning."

"I'm sure he did." Ben's voice was barely a murmur, as he went to leave as well. Kiala leaped up upon seeing his desire to leave and crossed the room to him quickly.

"are you doing anything today? My aid and I were going to go speak with Proodo once more-"

Ben stiffened at the reminder of how easily he had been lead around by the Queen last night, like he was her pet on a leash, some grand prize she had managed to collect. He squared his shoulders, forcing his mind back to the present situation, and turning to face her bowed his head respectfully and whispered, "I think it's best if you go with your aid."

Kiala's eyes dropped quickly and she murmured something softly, but when she glanced up again she gave him a weak smile and said, "of course, I should expect that you have something to do."

Ben winced inwardly, that was not the intention he had presented, but if it kept him away from Kiala for a day, then so be it. She turned away and crossed her room to the vase that had shattered on the ground. She sighed as she crouched down and gathered up the flowers that had been the unfortunate recipients of the destruction.

"Such a waste of life," she whispered, more to herself than to Ben. He watched her rampantly though, unable to turn away, unable to leave when she was being so vulnerable again. She set the flowers softly on the small table by the window and then crouched down again to pick up the broken pieces of the vase. She paused as if realizing something, and then glancing over her shoulder at Ben she whispered, "I'm sorry you had to see this, Olie and I have been rather disagreeable lately," she brushed a few of the pieces into the palm of her hand with her finger tips and then rose once more to put them on the table, "we have very different views."

Ben remained silent, watching Kiala's thin, graceful fingers pick up the larger pieces and cradle them. Seeing that she might cut her hand on some of them, he crossed to her and said, "you might want to wait for someone to clean that up."

Kiala paused for a moment, her hands hovering above a smaller piece, and Ben saw her hand was trembling. She laughed softly to herself though, and still reached out to pick up the piece. As she rose she looked up at Ben under long lashes and whispered, "I'm happy to say, I have a habit of cleaning up my own messes."

(/)

Kyp had been alone in the library for a few hours, his mind elsewhere as he stood by the window and looked out at the snow dusted landscape. He'd sensed Ben with the Queen almost an hour ago, and had felt the youth retreat into himself after that.

Of course he'd found out about the dinner party last night. It wasn't hard to get that kind of information out of Allana. The poor thing was a hopeless romantic, always spewing off happy things about love and whatnot. Ben and Kiala were her new project, or so she had claimed to Kyp after telling him that she had seen Ben and Kiala slip out onto the balcony and stay out there for almost half an hour. Kyp intended to speak about it with Ben, but he'd managed to avoid Kyp so far, apparently he knew that it wasn't a secret anymore.

Eventually, Kyp heard the soft sound of footfalls behind him and flipping around hoping to catch Ben sneaking up on him so he could patronize him for that too, Kyp came face to face with the Queen's Honor Guard. Olie looked almost as surprised to see Kyp as Kyp looked to see him. They remained at a stand still, both of them staring at each other in mock respect for the span of a few heartbeats, neither backing away or turning.

The guard slowly backed away after the silence had grown too long and then dipping his head he whispered, "Jedi Master, I wasn't expecting to find you in a library."

If Kyp noticed the barb he didn't say anything, instead he glared at Olie and replied, "you've been extremely respectful to Jedi Knight Skywalker as of late, any reason in particular for that?"

The guard lifted his eyes and Kyp saw the barest flash of fury in Olie's irises, but the young man recovered quickly and with a wan smile reapplied in kind, "the Queen has taken a liking to him, and has requested that I show him the utmost respect. I can't disobey a direct order from my Queen."

Kyp frowned and stepped aside slowly, inviting Olie to pass him. The young man took the opportunity like he was a dying man who had just seen water, and slipped past Kyp. He watched Olie disappear deeper into the library and around corner where he vanished from sight. Kyp's frown deepened and with a tight nod of acknowledgment, he started after the Guard.

It was simple to trail him, he took no sudden turns or stairwells, and Kyp found it rather silly that he was following Olie at all. Something had tipped him off though, something about the look in Olie's eyes as he'd mentioned the Queen and Ben. Eventually the young man paused outside a set of heavy doors and knocked quickly. The doors swung open and he slipped inside, closing the doors with a resounding bang behind him. Kyp stopped at the end of the hall and then turned to look down the hall behind him to see if anyone had followed him. The only sound was his soft breathing as he turned once more and made his way towards the doors. He paused outside them and stretching his senses beyond, he recognized the presence of the Queen's aid and Olie, both of which appeared to be rather at ease, a heartbeat later there was the sound of something being slammed against a table and then a raising of voices. Kyp narrowed his eyes and took a small step closer to the doors to try and hear what was being said.

Pressing himself up against the doors he heard the faintest of mumbling, nothing to really string together though. There was another banging and Kyp cursed the thick door separating him from the conversation. Behind him he heard a soft cough and flipping around he saw Allana standing with her arms crossed and her brow raised in curiosity. Her lips pulled down into a frown as she inquired, "what are you doing Master Durron?"

Kyp paused and then stepping away from door he murmured, "nothing of benefit anymore."

Allana's arms uncrossed and tilting her head to the side she whispered, "are we spying on someone?"

"_We_ are not doing anything." Kyp replied as he started down the hallway towards the library again, intent on losing the teenager before she asked anymore questions. Allana hiked up her skirt and ran to catch up to him, her shoes clicking against the marble floor as she reached Kyp. She walked along side him in silence for a moment before she stepped in front of him and inquired while walking backwards, "do you know where Ben is?"

"No, and I've been looking for him all morning."

"Behind closed doors?" Allana questioned as her face twisted in mock confusion and surprise. Kyp sighed and stepping around her replied sternly, "no, now shouldn't you be with your mother?"

Allana's lips puckered in a way that could only be described as Solo and murmured, "I know where Ben is."

Kyp paused and turning to face her side on he ordered, "tell me where he is, Allana this is serious."

The teenage girl smiled at her new found control and crossing her arms she teased, "only if you tell me what you were doing."

They remained in a stalemate for a few minutes, Kyp's eyes narrowing with each second, and Allana's smile widening each time the Jedi Master's scowl deepened. Eventually Kyp raised his chin, refusing to play Allana's games and growled, "never mind, I'll find Jedi Knight Skywalker myself."

With that he passed her and made his way back towards the library and left Allana behind, rather annoyed that she had been played into the situation. She watched Kyp's receding form and when he vanished around the corner, she turned her attention back to the room Kyp had been standing by. Setting her jaw, she reached down and slipped off her shoes before walking towards the door. If there was one thing she had learned from her grandfather, it was that you sometimes had to do things yourself if you wanted the truth.

She pressed her ear up against the door and listened intently to the murmurs of voices beyond. Gritting her teeth when she couldn't hear clearly, Allana stormed off and assumed that Kyp had been listening to nothing.

(/)

Kyp found Ben in his chambers, sitting in front of the large floor to ceiling windows in a meditation pose, his eyes closed and his shoulders rising and falling slowly with each breath. He waited behind Ben, watching the young man probably purposefully ignore him. Eventually though, Ben sighed and without looking over his shoulder called out to Kyp, "yes?"

"I heard about last night, you know." There was silence again after Kyp's comment, but he swore he saw Ben flinch. The young man eventually sighed, the tension in his shoulders leaving as he murmured, "nothing happened."

"Hiding things will get you no where right now."

"what makes you think I'm hiding things?" Ben's rebuttal was laced with irritation at Kyp's questioning, but his body remained loose, his mind working around the problem obviously. "I promised you I wouldn't hide anything that happened."

"And standing on the balcony for half an hour with the queen that we are supposed to be guarding isn't anything?" Kyp growled as he crossed the room to stand right behind Ben, his fury over the young man's actions coming to the fore now that their conversation had escalated into an argument. Ben's shoulders tensed once more, and his back stiffened until he was sitting ram rod straight. Kyp crouched down so he was whispering in Ben's ear, "don't try to hide this from me, I know something's going on. Both me and your father-"

Ben rose at that, almost succeeding in taking Kyp's nose off. He flipped around and going toe to toe with the Jedi Master growled, "you and my father need to stay out of _my_ business."

"Last I checked we were your superiors and deserved both your respect and an open mind. I'm trying to help you!" Kyp cried as Ben shoved past him and grabbed his boots a few steps away. "She's dangerous Ben-"

"You think I don't know that?" Ben chided, his eyes narrowing as he drew up to his full height and threw the boots back down. "You think I don't know that she's probably conspiring with the Sith, and may even be one herself! Do you think I'm some stupid kid who doesn't know right from wrong?"

Kyp took a deep breath through his teeth, and made a mental note to report to Luke and ask him how in the name of the Force he talked to his son without firing an argument. Forcing calm on tightening muscles, Kyp growled though his teeth, "I don't think you're a little child, I know that you've have you share of these situations. But this is being taken to a whole other level, we don't know if the Sith are here, we don't know if they are even present in the Onderon Royal Court, we don't even know who this damn girl is."

"That's what I'm trying to do, I'm trying to know her, inside and out. I feel like that is the only way we can find out what happened." Ben murmured, his shoulders slacking as he realized that the fight wasn't worth it. Kyp was right, although Ben hated to admit it. He'd had his share of missions, but none that required this level of attention to detail and interpretation. He sighed and slowly sank down onto the arm of the couch and ran a tired hand through his hair. He was so tired of this mission, tired of playing games and dancing around Olie. They were barely into the mission and he wanted to rip his hair out. Everything was a contradiction, every lead a dead end. When did a door open for him to slip though allowing him to reach the deep recesses of Kiala's mind?

"Maybe I should try talking to her." Kyp's voice whispered through Ben's thoughts, pulling his attention back to the Jedi Master. He had crossed to Ben once more and was gently resting a hand on Ben's shoulder. The pressure was reassuring, and Ben almost succumbed to it, almost.

"No, I-I need to talk to her. She actually listens to me." Ben rose slowly, and glanced up to meet Kyp's gaze he murmured, "at least, I think she does."

(/)

It was early in the evening when Ben received a summons to Tenel Ka's chambers. The steward who delivered the message looked rather beside himself that he had to walk all the way across the palace to deceive a five word message that made almost no sense at all. Ben simply nodded and thanked him, but that appeared to make it worse, because the squat man had only huffed to himself and then turned on his heel to leave. Ben watched him walk down the long hallway before sighing and closing the door softly. He leaned his head against the cool wood for a few seconds before reopening it and slipping out into the freezing hallway.

The snow had stopped falling, and as Ben passed the Queen's doors he glanced out at the barren landscape. The sun was setting across the scraggly mountain peaks turning the snow on the tops a bright pink and orange color. He stood frozen for a moment, transfixed by the sight. The simpleness of it all pricking at the back of his mind, drawing him closer to the window so that he could see his breath fog it momentarily. The fog spread slowly along the windowpane and he watched as it gathered in the corners, blurring the image of the sun as it dipped below the mountains.

As the last of the rays split the sky, he turned away from the window and glanced down the hall to see if anyone had noticed his absentminded state, but he appeared to be the only living soul in this passage. Kiala and her aid had left earlier, but not without Olie catching Ben outside his rooms coming back from his walk with Kyp. They had left his rooms to discuss their strategy and approach to the reluctant queen who appeared to be keeping more secrets than before, and Ben had arrived just as Olie was arriving the retrieve Kiala.

Those black eyes had watched Ben unsettlingly as he passed the Queen's rooms to get to his own. The Guard had sneered for a moment before whispering, "tell your Master to stop snooping around where he doesn't belong."

Ben had stopped outside of his doors and had replied that he didn't know what Olie was talking about. With that he had opened his door, but Olie wasn't done. He pushed the door closed and glaring Ben down he'd growled, "stay out of her head, she doesn't need you running amuck in there."

Ben had narrowed his eyes at Olie's assumption and replied, "I haven't even tried to get in her head. She has every right to her privacy. I may be protecting her, but I'm not going to dig through every recess of her mind to find out her secrets."

For a moment, Olie had looked relieved, as if Ben's comment had soothed something he was worried about. From behind Olie, Kiala's voice had whispered that she was ready. She had been wearing a simple vine silk dress with gold flower lace dancing across the skirt. The look was so simplistic, that for a moment, Ben could forget that she was royalty.

Olie had given Ben one more hard look before turning and gesturing for Kiala to walk ahead of him. The Queen had met Ben's eyes softly, as if she were almost asking his forgiveness for something. Ben had glanced away quickly, refusing to be lead again, which only seemed to light a fire in Kiala from what he could tell. When he had looked back at her, Kiala had already gathered the train of her dress and had started ahead of Olie, her golden curls swirling around her shoulders as she walked down the hallway to meet her aid. Ben had watched her go, the fire in her presence almost a flash of insight into her psyche for him. She wanted him to desperately forgive her for something, but he couldn't quite figure out what she would be asking his forgiveness for.

Now, as he stood in the hallway, he looked back to the small space that all those feelings had occupied hours ago. She had looked beautiful tonight, she always did though, he reflected. Shaking himself out of those thoughts, Ben cursed the Force for always pitting him with some beautiful, Sith influenced girl.

(/)

The Queen Mother's chambers were warm and less sparse than Kiala's, with many trappings of the Hapan royal family. Ben took in the warm greens and blues of Hapes as he was shone in from the grand hallway. The marble in the walls was infused with little red veins, contrasting nicely with the green of the tapestries and pottery. The young steward bowed to Ben as he gestured Ben into the large sitting quarters where Allana was strewn across one of the love seats, her legs hanging over the edge of the arm and her head resting on a pillow as she recalled her day to her mother who was sitting across from her sipping a small drink.

Tenel Ka appeared to notice his presence in the doorway, but Allana continued droning on, oblivious to Ben standing behind her. Receiving almost an invisible nod from the Queen, Ben slipped in and crossed the room to stand next to Allana's love seat.

She seemed to grow rather excited for a second, and Ben expected her to turn and greet him warmly, instead she sat up quickly and exclaimed to her mother, "and Kiala had the prettiest dress on today, I saw her in it a little while ago. It was so pretty! It was that color that you say you always like, with gold lacy trimming and she had this head piece in that Grandma would have been so jealous of… I wonder if Ben saw her."

Tenel smiled and gestured to Ben next to her daughter and inquired, "well, I suppose you can ask him yourself?"

Allana flipped around to see Ben standing next to her, his brow raised in speculation and his lips drawn tight to hide his laughter at her surprise when she saw him. She scrambled up and stumbled over her sorries for not seeing him sooner and for talking about him with out knowing he was there. Ben eventually laughed and setting his hand on his cousin's shoulder he teased, "do you ever stop talking Lana?"

Allana's lips drew into a tight line at the nickname that he had taken to using after he heard one of her tutors call her it, but her scowl quickly disappeared as she stood on her toes to inquire, "I do when I hear people whispering secrets," seeing that he wasn't getting her point, Allana smiled coyly and teased, "well Ben, do _you _have any secrets worth hearing?"

Ben smiled but didn't rise to her bait, his reply leaving her perhaps even more curious about her own innuendo. "I might, but they are not for young ears."

Tenel smiled as she rose from her position on the couch, the lines in her face pulling tightly as she pulled Ben to sit down where she had been sitting a moment ago. He watched her curiously as she crossed the room to get him a glass of what she was drinking and he felt his stomach turn as he realized that she had a few little gray hairs dancing along her hair line. They were hardly there, but to an eye trained for detail, they stuck out like a sore spot. Unlike most, they made Tenel look even more regal, she carried her age well, he thought as he realized how old that made his father, aunt, and uncle. She glanced over her shoulder at Ben while she poured his drink, as if sensing his thoughts, instead of responding though, she offered him a bittersweet smile. Allana bounced over to her mother, practically skipping as she hummed, "did you see Kiala today mama? You said you were going to talk to her."

Tenel's lips turned up in amusement at her daughter's question and turning Allana around she responded, "no, I haven't seen her today."

"Mama! You said-" Allana whined but Tenel Ka silenced her with a look that made even Ben fix his posture. The Queen Mother sighed and then crossed back to Ben and handing him his drink she murmured, "I think I've embarrassed that poor girl enough."

Ben looked down at his hands, his own guilt at agreeing to pull information out Kiala rolling off of him in waves. Allana's gaze snapped to Ben upon sensing the rise in emotion, but she couldn't pinpoint what he was so guilty about. No one had taught her how to pick individual thoughts out of someone's mind, even if she could though, it was doubtful Ben would be foolish enough to let her catch them.

Tenel turned trained eyes on Ben though and questioned offhandedly, "have you adjusted to everything here?"

Ben smiled, grateful for the sudden change in subject and with a shrug replied, "if adjusted means finally knowing how to get around without getting lost, then yes, I've adjusted well." He took a sip of the brandy she had given him and swallowing around the bitter taste, he moved over and allowed Allana to plop down next to him. She leaned closer to him and with a wan smile whispered, "got a secret."

"Oh yeah," Ben replied with a raised brow, intent on keeping his own secrets out of this conversation, "and what is this _secret_?"

Allana giggled softly and then leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear, barely breathing it seemed, "Kiala hates her aid."

Apparently Allana was not done speaking about the young Queen of Onderon, and Ben almost sighed as the topic was brought up again. For a moment though, he was stunned, but that was chased away by curiosity as he bowed his head to indulge to his cousin, "do tell then your Highness."

Allana's smile could have split her face in two, but she brought it under control and settled in, intent on making her gossip appear as professional as possible it seemed. Tenel Ka watched her daughter with amusement and even settled in across from the two of them to watch the fireworks. Raising her chin, Allana stated bluntly, "I saw them in the hallway earlier today. He was saying something to her that didn't look that nice, and she looked like she wanted to rip his heart out and eat it."

"I think that's a little dramatic Allana darling," Tenel murmured as she ran her thumb along the rim of her glass. Allana shook her head wildly, scattering her curls everywhere as she turned back to Ben and began to sputter, "no, no, I'm serious. She said something that looked kind of like a curse word and he went all pale and then dragged her around a corner and was hissing something in her ear. She looked terrified, all pale and-."

"Did you hear what they were saying?" Ben inquired, his eyes cooling considerably as he realized that Allana was probably telling the truth, from what he'd seen between Kiala and her aid, the man was as two faced as the guard he'd brought along. Allana frowned as if she were recalling something from long ago, and her lips twisted like she had tasted something sour before saying, "something about lying, she said she didn't want to lie anymore, or something like that, I don't really know."

Ben's lips drew into a tight line as he breathed under his breath, "I knew it."

Allana appeared to not hear him, since she continued rambling, "the aid also said something about keeping quiet for a little longer, or maybe it was keep _it_ quiet for a little longer, I'm not really sure. I tried to tell Master Durron earlier when he was looking for you but…" Allana trailed off when she realized that Ben wasn't even listening to her anymore. His eyes were gazing into the fireplace and had taken on that far away look that said he was in a half mediation trance, possibly searching in the Force for the truth in Allana's accusations. Eventually he nodded to himself and handing Tenel Ka the glass he inclined his head to her and whispered, "I'm sorry but I have to go, thank you for inviting me over, but-"

"Be careful Ben, those three look like more than you bargained for," Tenel Ka warned as she glanced up at Ben. Her green eyes were hard with tension and worry for him. Ben had become close to her only recently, unsurprisingly he was exactly like his mother. Imprudent sometimes, but rather observant of people and what they were after. She didn't doubt that he knew what was going on behind the curtains, and if there was one thing Skywalkers and Solo's had a nasty habit of doing, it was taking matter's into their own hands to solve the problem. Ben nodded quickly, accepting her warning, and passed her to leave the room. Allana watched his back and questioned her mother, "what did I say?"

(/)

Ben was running down the hallway, sprinting actually, determined to catch the Queen before she slipped into her rooms and disappeared under the watchful eye of her ever present guard. He glanced over his shoulder as he passed the hall that led to the Grand Ballroom, something dark was emanating from the hallway, but he shook his head, putting it off as an aftershock of his realization. He'd known Kiala had been lying, they'd known from the beginning when they'd caught her lying about Tenel Ka, but now, now he had something her could use.

As he rounded another corner, he turned into another body that was running the opposite direction as him, also at a sprint. They crashed into each other and then to the ground, and Ben saw stars spin before his eyes as his head hit the marble tile. He groaned as he rubbed the back of his head and sitting up slowly he saw Olie in front of him also rubbing the back of his head. The guard's eyes snapped to Ben and the two of them sat in stunned silence, apparently surprised to see each other. Ben put his hand out to get up and felt something cold and metal brush against his fingertips. Frowning he picked up a necklace chain with a locket swinging on the end. Olie grumbled to himself as he got up apparently not noting Ben at all, who had remained on the ground, looking at the object curiously.

Ben rose slowly from the ground as he observed the locket on the end of the chain that swung lazily before him. It was exquisitely carved, a piece of art work almost. It looked like spiraling galaxies of stars were carved all over it, with a single rhinestone in the middle that reflected the torchlight while also seeming to swallow it at the same time. The grooves were shallow, but the stone appeared to sit deeply embedded in the metal. The entire deign appeared centered to point the center point of the locket. Ben cupped the charm in his hand and let out a cry of surprise at the darkness that emanated from it in the Force. Olie's eyes snapped back to him and they widened in horror as Ben dropped the locket in disgust. Olie tore his eyes away from the locket to snap at Ben, "where did you get that?"

"I didn't _get it_ anywhere, I-I," he watched as Olie bent down to pick the locket up from where Ben had thrown it down. He turned it over in his hand and then murmured something under his breath before glaring at Ben once more and hissing, "where were you going in a such a rush Jedi Knight Skywalker?"

Ben opened his mouth to answer, noticing the abrupt change in subject, only to slowly realize that Olie had changed it on purpose to thrown him off of the locket and murmured in response, "I was looking for Master Durron, but seeing as he's not here, I should look elsewhere."

Olie's head tilted to the side and Ben lost sight of the locket in the dark, seeing his curiosity over the piece Olie smiled wickedly and replied, "a pity, I hope you find him before it gets to be too late." With that the guard slipped around Ben like water over and rock and whispered in his ear, barely breathing the words, "stay away from the Queen."

Ben froze in surprise and only looked over his shoulder a few heart beats later to see Olie vanish around the corner and down the hallway that lead to the ballroom. The hallway grew deathly silent after Olie's disappearance but Ben remained rooted to the spot, running over the encounter in his mind, and always halting at the locket. Something about it sent shivers down his spine and raised the hairs on his neck and arms, as if even thinking about it was enough to bring the sickening feeling to his stomach that signaled the Dark Side.

With a jerk he took several strides around the corner in the opposite direction of Olie, hoping that he didn't run into any more surprises. His eyes flitted left and right as he passed hallways that broke off and with each glance his unease grew. For being so early in the night, the palace was too quiet. He paused once more outside of the hallway that led to Kyp's rooms, and debated whether or not he should go speak with the Jedi Master about what had transpired in the hallway with Olie just moments before. The door down the way from him opened and an older man stepped out. He paused when he saw Ben and then with a quick dip of his head, he turned on his heel and raced away.

Ben frowned, that was unusual. Surely the man wasn't afraid of him? Maybe it was because he was standing in a shadow and the man hadn't truly seen his face. When he turned around though, he ran into the person standing right behind him. He stumbled back a step, stumbling over an apology before realizing that Kiala's aid was glaring down his nose at Ben.

"Odd seeing you here Jedi Knight Skywalker."

Ben felt his mouth grow dry and his throat tighten as he realized that the reason the man had run was not because he had seen Ben, but because he had seen the aid. The older man seemed to take up the entire hallway, his broad shoulders filling the space around him. His dark robes absorbed the torch light behind him and Ben felt strangely cold in the shadow created by this effect.

"I was just looking for the Queen."

The aid's demur changed lightening quick, his eyes shifted to dark pools of black as his eyes narrowed. He seemed to swell even further in size and Ben felt impossibly small in front of him. "I assure you, she is perfectly safe. I just checked on her in fact."

Remembering what Allana had seen between the aid and Kiala, Ben decided to push the aid further to see how far he would go before he snapped spectacularly. "I think I'll check on her myself, thank you."

For a moment Ben thought the aid was going to strike him, he appeared almost insulted by the fact that Ben would even go looking for Kiala, as if by not taking his word Ben was sacrilegious. Instead of reaching out to strike Ben who had tensed in anticipation for the blow, he leaned closer so that his face was only centimeters away from the young Jedi's and whispered, "I recommend you don't play games with me, boy."

Ben narrowed his eyes at the comment, and squaring his shoulders he replied coldly, "who said I was playing games?"

The aid pulled away as if he had been physically shocked and with a huff he murmured, "I recommend you don't try and solve the puzzle that is the Queen, she will take you down with her if you do."

With that, the conversation was over and the aid slipped past Ben and continued down the hallway in the same direction that Olie had gone. The knot that had been forming in Ben's stomach seemed to unwind and he released the breath he had not realized he was holding. The muscles in his neck realized that he was no long in danger, and he felt his shoulders slump, he never realized how tense he got when he tried to read Kiala's aid. It like he was staring at a white wall and trying to imagine what it would look like with paint. Shaking off the last of his dark mood, Ben continued down the hallway to Kiala's rooms, where he was going to find out what was going on here, whether the Queen liked it or not.

(/)

Kiala opened the door after Ben's first knock; either she was expecting someone, or she had known he had been standing outside for the past three minutes debating whether or not he actually wanted to do this. When she opened the door, her eyes widened upon seeing him, only for her face to light up with a smile as she exclaimed, "Ben," she seemed to pause as if using his name was improper, but continued all the same, "I wasn't expecting you."

"I was just coming to check on you," Ben murmured as he lowered his eyes. She looked fine, he didn't need to talk to her anymore, he shouldn't even be talking to her in the _first_ place. He inclined his head in what he hoped was a polite goodbye only for her hand to snake out from behind the door and grip his wrist. His gaze snapped up to her's in surprise, and even Kiala looked shocked by her action. She seemed to recover quicker than him, and with a shy grin, never once relinquishing her hold on his wrist, she whispered, "would you like to come in, today has been so stressful and I would love to talk."

Ben felt his heart race, this could be the time to get his answers, when Kiala's lips were loose and she seemed willing to tell him everything. She looked up at him though long, graceful lashes and the faint light from the hallway seemed to turn her eyes into bright pools of starlight. The squirming in his stomach was _definitely_ not from his sparked nerves alone anymore. His throat seemed to tighten once more and with a weak nod, he took the ultimate step into the doorway of the Queen's chambers. She seemed to light up like a lighting bug and Ben felt the smile dancing on his lips before he stop it. She looked especially young when she smiled, like a little girl who was about to receive a secret Life Day gift. Her eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled and her full lips pulled wide to reveal white teeth, and the light behind her played shadows across her face, making her eyes brighter it seemed. Her right cheek dimpled slightly near the corner of her mouth and that seemed to be the final piece of what was perhaps the most beautiful smile Ben had seen.

He pulled away from those depths quickly though, and it felt like he was rising to the surface after almost drowning. The soft glint of her crown in the low light pricked at his thoughts and for a moment he felt disgusted with himself for even thinking of her as anything but royal. Kiala seemed to sense his shift in mood because she lowered her eyes and whispered, "would you like some tea? I was just about to make some."

"Tea—tea would be nice." Ben cursed himself for stumbling over his words and giving away the fact that he was uncomfortable in her presence. Kiala didn't notice though as she floated through the hallway to the small living area in the front of her chambers. Ben followed her, watching the graceful sway of her curls along her back as she walked, and the gentle swirl of the simple white gown she wore, which did nothing to hide her slim curves. His earlier observation that she appeared to have none was instantly revoked, Kiala Olverde had been graced with supple beauty, she just hid it very well.

Turning to glance at him over her shoulder, she whispered with a gentle smile, "did you enjoy today? I feel as if I haven't seen you at all."

Ben cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from the enticing pull of her eyes and stated, "I saw you earlier, this morning, and before you left for dinner with your aid."

She didn't look the least bit phased by the comment, or even the memories of those incidents, instead she tilted her head to the side as if she were thinking about it for a moment. With a soft laugh she entered her living area and teased, "you see, I need you around to remind me when I forget things like that."

Ben laughed along with her, but if Kiala had turned around she would have seen the grimace as he tried to remain neutral in his emotions toward her. He felt the pull toward her like she was a sun and he was the system orbiting around her. He wanted to believe she didn't know about the effect she had on him, but if she was what he thought, then she knew exactly what effect she had.

She paused by a small table with a beautifully handcrafted wooden box. Lifting the lid with delicate fingers she stared down at the empty insides for a few heartbeats before reaching up and lifting the crown off of her head with weary fingers. She set it down softly inside of the box and Ben watched as she transformed in that moment. As soon as the metal left her head, and settled into the box, her shoulders seemed to straighten the tiniest bit, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was in that moment that Ben saw how young Kiala was, an eighteen year old girl sitting on a throne that she was terrified of holding. An eighteen year old girl who had probably seen her fair share of liars and traitors before she had even sat on the throne for a day. She took no notice of his realization and instead crossed the room to the sitting area, her steps even lighter than before.

Sweeping the edge of her gown up, she settled onto the couch and glanced from Ben to the couch across from her, as if giving him silent permission to sit there. Seeing it was the only seat other than the one she occupied, Ben had no choice but to take the seat across from Kiala. Not that it would be bad to look at her while he interrogated, he just worried she would make it impossible to think straight. As he crossed the room to sit down, Kiala reached forward and poured two cups of tea and smiling up at him, she teased, "I don't think I've ever had tea with a Jedi before, this might be new territory."

"I don't believe I've ever had tea in the first place," Ben replied before he even knew the words were coming out. Kiala looked up at him in surprise and with a raised brow she replied, "you made it sound as if you had outside."

Cursing himself in every language he knew, Ben smiled and feigned innocence over the cascade of chaos inside his head, "I have had tea, but not like you have."

Kiala's head tilted to the side and her curls tumbled over her shoulder as she looked up at him curiously. His comment obviously strange to her as she thgouth about it. He watched her brows knit together the slightest bit as she though and then they slid apart as she seemed to give up try ingot decode what he had just said. She continued watching him like that though, for only a few more moments before returning her attention to the tea. Her hands were steady as she passed him the saucer, but as she released it, her hand brushed his and he felt her skin warm at the touch. When he looked up at her, Kiala's eyes flinted away and she rushed to get her cup up, as she did it slipped out of her grip. Ben lunged forward and caught the cup in his hand and the liquid with the Force. Kiala let out a squeak of surprise at her clumsiness and with wide eyes watched Ben catches the liquid in the cup. He held it out to her, and with shaking hands Kiala took it from him, her eyes glancing everywhere but his face as she whispered, "I'm sorry, I-I don't know what came over me."

Ben smiled, seeing the chance to take the upper hand and whispered, "it's fine, I'm sure it just slipped."

She looked up at him through the curtain of her hair that had fallen in front her face and seemed to separate her from him. After a heartbeat she pushed it back and glancing at him through her elegant lashes once more she whispered, "thank you."

They sat in silence for a few moment then, Kiala sipping her tea slowly, never meeting his eyes, though she must have known that he was watching her over the rim of his cup. She didn't appear nervous about his presence, if anything, it was the unknown emotion that hung between them like a curtain that prevented any form of engagement without the awkwardness of dancing around something. As Ben sat watching her, he tried to pinpoint what the barrier was. It felt like it should be easy to assess, but the Force seemed to be keeping it from him.

Reaching out slightly to her in Force, trying to touch Kiala and give her some resemblance of safety with him. Maybe that would open her back up to him. As he touched her mind he felt the brutal punch of chaos, as her mind ran in circles trying to do the same thing as he was, without the added bonus of the Force though. Gently, he stroked her warring mind, easing her thoughts to a slow pace. As he did this, her eyes snapped to his and for a moment it looked like she was going to strike out at him for invading her like that. As her mind relaxed though, her eyes softened and she whispered, "are you doing this?"

"I sensed that you were distraught, I figure it will be easier to talk if you're not warring with yourself." Ben whispered, pulling away from her in the Force, seeing the fear behind her eyes. She looked away quickly and inquired hastily, "can you read my mind?"

"Yes," he saw her face pale, and cataloging that away from later, he continued, "but not without you knowing."

"How?" Her voice was barely a whisper, hardly even there, as she asked her question. Seeing the panic that was rising up in her eyes he gave her a gentle smile and replied warmly, "you would know that I was directing your thoughts."

Kiala glanced at him, curiosity sparking in her presence as she set her cup and saucer down. Seeing this, and taking it as a sign that she was listening and being open, Ben leaned forward and whispered, "I've been meaning to ask you something, Kiala."

The curiosity was gone in a flash and was replaced with wary skepticism as she pulled away from him to break the close contact and responded, "yes?"

Ben watched her hands tighten in her lap as she clasped them, one inside the other. Her knuckles paled and as he looked up to meet her eyes once more, he saw her cheeks had also drained of all color. For a moment she looked like a frightened animal that was trapped in a corner looking for a way out. Once more filing away her reaction for later, he implored, "have you ever seen something before it happens? Or maybe you have known when someone was upset around you without actually seeing or talking to them?"

For a moment Kiala looked confused by his questions, but he saw the tension leave her shoulders as he apparently left the topic she though he was going to bring up. He watched as her eyes glazed and her features took on a far away look as she glanced into the fireplace at the burning logs. Only a few moments later she turned her thoughts back to him, and with an iron voice as she questioned, "are you and Master Durron seeing something to do with that?"

Ben was taken aback by her blunt response and physically recoiled as he sat back to look at her once more. Her gaze was filled with fire when it snapped to his, and she insisted, "well, do you think I am like you? That I can read people's thoughts, that I sense the Force around me?"

Ben narrowed his eyes at the mercurial turn of Kiala's emotions, and replied gently, "yes, we have both observed in the short time that we have been with you that you appear to possess access to the Force." He hoped to see her explode at his accusation, instead she surprised him once more by sitting back and letting her eyes water with tears. Reaching out to her in the Force once more, he sense that maelstrom of emotion and before he could stop himself, he grabbed her hand and cupped it in between his own. As if this were permission from him, she burst into soft sobs, her shoulders shaking and she cried quietly. Ben slipped around the table and gathered her in his arms, pulling her to his chest, hoping to calm her and offer sympathy. She chocked on her words as she replied, "I—I'm so-so sorry. I just, my father said that he thought I was sensitive when I was little."

Ben ran his hand up and down her back, feeling the shudder in her body every time a sob wracked her frail body. He had never noticed how tiny she was, until he had gathered her into his arms and cradled her. He could feel her downy cheek pressing on the open part of his tunic, and her fist clutching the fabric like he could anchor her in the storm that was her thoughts.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair, knowing it was worthless with how she was feeling, "I'm so very, very sorry."

He held her for what felt like hours as Kiala slowly drifted in and out of consciousness, and when Ben finally began to feel the strain of his many sleepless nights, Kiala shifted and woke him. She murmured something unintelligibly and seeing that she was asleep, Ben rose with her in his arms, and cradling her, carried her to her sleeping chambers. She barely shifted in his arms as he carried her down the hall, but in the silence around them he heard her whisper breathlessly, "no, I can do it. I can do it myself, papa."

Ben felt some part of this whole mess condense, Kiala was alone. She was terrified and alone after being stripped of the two people she thought she would have for the rest of her life. It was his pain with his mother on an unimaginable scale, a figure that if he tried to imagine it, brought feelings buried deep back to the surface. Feelings that had put under lock and key for years, making sure no one, not even himself, could reach them. What was it about Kiala though that dragged those feelings out? How did she slip past his well managed walls without so much as a struggle from him?

Once he was in her rooms, he set her on the bed softly and pulled the blankets over her. In the light of the full moon which had pushed its way through the clouds, her hair was almost white, and her skin was pale as the snow on the ledge of her balcony. Softly, as to not wake her, he brushed a lock of hair away from her face before it disturbed her obviously peaceful slumber. He remained over her for only a few moments, and then deciding that he was no longer needed, Ben turned and crossed the room. As he opened the door though, he heard the bedding rustle and glancing over his shoulder he saw Kiala sitting bolt up right in the bed with a look of utter terror on her face. He paused and whispered, "is everything all right, Kiala?"

Upon hearing his voice and not her father's, Kiala snapped fully awake, her eyes searching wildly left and right as she tried to pinpoint her parents who were no longer with her in the real world. When she couldn't find them, her eyes sought Ben out once more, and with a shaky voice she whispered across the dark chasm to him, begged him to understand some unspoken cry for help, "I-I'm afraid, please-please stay." 

Ben remained in the doorway, unsure of how to proceed. The fourteen year old Ben who had spent months chasing his mother's killer, who had grown up far too fast, screamed at him to give the help they had desperately needed growing up. The reasonable side of him, the seasoned Jedi, hissed at him to whisper an apology and leave. Torn between fixing the young woman looking at him so desperately and separating himself from her completely, he reached out across the void to her, hoping to get some resemblance of security from the truth in her lucid mind.

Her shields were weak and behind them, he saw weeks of nightmare, darkness, and fear, but below that he sensed her desperation for someone to understand, to comfort her in this grieving time. Slowly Ben closed the door, and silenced the nagging voices in his head, refusing to succumb to either ones emotional influence. He crossed the room once more and grabbing the lone chair in the room on his way over, he set it up next to Kiala's bed and whispered, "of course, Kiala."

She settled back into the pillows as he sat in the chair, watching his face as he leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. As he began to drift off he felt warm fingers close around his own as Kiala whispered, "thank you, Ben."


End file.
